The half-ruined Kalköfen are a testimony to Geseke's industrial history. The boom began in 1843 with the discovery of Portland cement, which led to the founding of the first cement factory in Geseke in 1900. The construction of the new railroad line led to the construction of further cement works.
The mighty shaft kilns made of quarry stone and bricks were built by the "Monopol" company in the 1920s. They have been a listed building since the 1980s.
Lime has been burned in Geseke, as in many regions with limestone deposits, since the Middle Ages. The material was already in demand in ancient times because it was suitable for whitening walls, as a fertilizer and, above all, as mortar.
Its practical properties are still used today: If limestone is heated in a fire, it gives off carbon dioxide. If it is then extinguished with water, it disintegrates into powder. Mixed with water and sand, it becomes mortar. If the lime mortar is processed and allowed to dry, it absorbs carbon dioxide from the air and becomes solid again - just like the rock at the beginning of the cycle.