Zeche Nachtigall


Useful Information

Location: Witten.
A43 exit Witten-Herbede.
Open: All year Tue-Sun, Hol 10-18.
Underground tours: Tue-Fri 11, 13, 15, 17, Sat, Sun, Hol hourly 11-17.
Closed 24-DEC to 01-JAN.
[2008]
Fee: Adults EUR 2,40, Children (6-17) EUR 1,50, Reduced EUR 1,60, Family (2+1) EUR 5,80.
Groups (16+): Adults EUR 1,90, Children (6-17) EUR 1,10.
With underground tour:
Adults EUR 3,40, Children (6-17) EUR 2,50, Reduced EUR 2,10, Family (2+1) EUR 6,80.
Groups (16+): Adults EUR 2,90, Children (6-17) EUR 2,10.
[2008]
Classification: MineCoal Mine
Light: miners lamp
Dimension:
Guided tours:
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address: LWL-Industriemuseum Zeche Nachtigall, Nachtigallstraße 35, 58452 Witten-Bommern, Tel: +49-2302-93664-0. E-mail: contact
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then.
Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

Geology


Description

The former Zeche Nachtigall (Nightingale Colliery) is today part of the LWL-Industriemuseum (Industrial Museum Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe). It is a typical example of early coal mining along the Ruhr river. Several rock building of the mine are preserved, among them the machine room with a still working steam engine from 1887, which is shown regularly. There is a hourly underground tour into the Besucherbergwerk Nachtigallstollen (Show Mine Nightingale Tunnel). The visitors are equipped with helmet and miners lamp for the trip to the coal seam. This tour shows the coal mining of the 19th century.

After World War II the coal seams along the Ruhr river were mined my by the locals in small mines. This was of great importance in this time of poverty after the lost war. This strange form of mining is explained at the entrance in a display called Zeche Eimerweise (bucket Colliery)- A 35 m long sailing ship is home to an exhibition on the history of shipbuilding and coal transportation with ships on the Ruhr river.

The Nightingale Colliery is located at the begin of the Muttental. This is an area were once 60 collieries existed. 30 mining objects in the valley were connected by the Bergbaurundwanderweg Muttental (Mining Heritage Trail Muttental). They represent 450 years of mining history from the first farmers digging coal, the contruction of horizontal tunnels to deep mining. Information on the trail is available at the Nightingale Colliery.