Mining in Malliß has a long history. Salt was mined in the Conow salt works as early as 1304, clay mining began in the middle of the 16th century, and lignite mining was started underground in the so-called Friedrich Franz field around 1817.
At the beginning of the 20th century, further adits were excavated near Conow. Finally, in 1875, the Marienstollen was inaugurated on the southern slope of the Wanzeberg. From here, the Malliß Upper Seam was developed first, and later the higher-yielding Lower Seam, until lignite mining was discontinued in 1926 due to its uneconomical nature. But only temporarily, because the fuel shortage after the Second World War made lignite mining attractive again, even necessary, and mining in the Conow field was pushed ahead. At peak times, almost one million tons of lignite were mined there annually until the colliery was closed for good in 1960.
The restored entrance to the Marienstollen, located in the middle of the forest, is still a reminder of the mining tradition. In 1996, the so-called mouth hole was restored after it had been abandoned to decay since 1908 and almost completely disappeared under the dune sand. During its uncovering, besides the masonry, decorative elements such as two tower pigeons and two kneeling miners as well as a terracotta plaque with the saying "Glück auf" were recovered and can be seen in the Kaliß Regional Museum. Today, the entrance to the Marienstollen is a monument to mining history in Mecklenburg, which only existed here. Once a year on the first Sunday in July, former miners meet here to commemorate it together.
