Besucherbergwerk Reichenbach-Stolln

Useful Information

Location:	(50.5977946, 12.7373260)
Open:	All year Thu 14-18, Sat 8-13. Closed on Holidays. [2024]
Fee:	free, donations welcome. [2024]
Classification:	Silver Mine
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:	T=8-10 °C.
Guided tours:	Große Tour: D=1 h. Mittlere Tour: 30 min. Kleine Tour: 20 min.
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:	Volkmar Müller (2004): Fundgrube Reichenbach Stolln, In: Siegfried Woedke: Der Berg ist frei II. 282 S. Eigenverlag, 08280 Aue, Brünlasberg 93, Seite 181-220.
Address:	Besucherbergwerk Reichenbach-Stolln, IG Historischer Erzbergbau Lößnitz e.V., c/o Jens Hahn, Bahnhofstraße 66a, 08297 Zwönitz, Tel: +49-37754-59097. E-mail:
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

1500	first written mention in Schneeberg rental books, Peter Storch is awarded a mine with an adit on the Fallbach.
1764	start of the second mining phase.
1839	foundation of a trade union.
1841	Bernhardt Adit created on the opposite side of the valley.
1857	lower-lying drainage tunnel Reichenbach Hoffnung Stollen opened.
1898	taken over by the Blaufarbenwerk Niederpfannenstiel.
1927	mine closed.
1950	investigation by SDAG Wismut unsuccessful.
1956	mouth hole blasted.
1992	Interessgemeinschaft historischer Erzbergbau Lößnitz e.V. founded.
MAY-2005	Show mine opened to the public.

Geology

The ores mined at the Kuttenberg were arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite, galena, and silver. This is a typical polymetallic gangue ore with a high silver content as typical for the Ore Mountains.

Description

The Besucherbergwerk Reichenbach-Stolln (Reichenbach Tunnel show mine) is a show mine run by an association in the Oberer Reichenbachstollen, also known as the Reichenbach Erbstolln It is located in the Fallbach valley north-east of Aue-Bad Schlema. It can only be reached on foot after a 1.5 km walk. Parking spaces are quite limited, with only about half a dozen cars able to park along the single lane road leading up the valley. The path follows the Kuttenbach uphill and then turns right into the Fallbach valley. The Kuttengrund with its mining relics is a protected monument. Visitors should be dressed appropriately for hiking and will be equipped with a helmet and rain jacket for the tour. There are three different tours.

The Große Tour (Grand Tour) visits the Reichenbach-Hoffnung-Stolln (Reichenbach Hope tunnel), which is located a little further into the Fallbach Valley. This was dug at a time when explosives were already available. After 300 metres in the tunnel, the Kunstschacht (vertical connection shaft) is reached, with signs and Gedingezeichen, markers indicating the progress of construction. The tunnel was excavated in the bedrock, the aim was to reach the ore as quickly as possible, which is why the tunnel is unusually straight. There is a Füllort (filling point) at the Kunstschacht, where the ore was loaded into the Hunte (carts). A turntable made it possible to turn the carts in the right direction. Now the tour ascends 30 metres via Fahrten (ladders) and reach the Reichenbach Erbstolln. This part of the mine is much older. Next station is the Tagesschacht (day shaft), which leads to the surface 40 metres higher up, but is not part of the tour. A hand pump from the 16th/17th century is located in a die here. It is very well-preserved, a result of the high arsenic and vitriol content in the mine water, which preserved the wood by killing bacteria and fungi. At the end of the tunnel, the group reaches the chamber where the ore was mined, which is called an Abbau in German. It is quite huge and has a ceiling height of 15 metres and the working face, i.e. the actual ore extraction. The group leaves the mine through the Reichenbach Erbstolln, the last stop is the Kunstradstube. It was the location of a water wheel with a diameter of 9 metres that drove the pumps.

The Mittlere Tour (medium tour) is only the second part of the long tour. You enter the mine through the Reichenbach Erbstolln, saving yourself the deeper part of the mine and the 30 metre ladder climb. It is much less strenuous and only takes half as long.

The Kleine Tour (Small Tour), on the other hand, is a completely different tour, travelling through the Bernhardt-Stolln (Bernhardt tunnel) on the other side of the Fallbach. This tunnel has no electric light and visitors are equipped with storm lanterns. A head torch would certainly be more practical, but it's probably about the mysterious flickering light. The tour first follows a cross-cut that served as a training route for Häuer ("diggers") and Doppelhäuer ("double diggers"), which are old names for higher grade miners. Then you follow the ore vein to a Fahrschacht (connection shaft), which is the connection to the Reichenbach-Hoffnung tunnel 30 m below. After visiting a few more workings, you return the same way. This is certainly the wildest but also the shortest tour.

Mining already existed in the 15th century, probably from around 1480. The first written mention was in July 1500, when a certain Peter Storch was granted a mine with an adit on the Fallbach. Mining was subsequently carried out by Eigenlöhner (independent miners), but these were mostly rather poor and so there were many changes of ownership and names. This first phase ended with the Thirty Years' War, but at least the tunnels offered the population good protection from the invading Swedish troops. The second phase of mining began in 1764, and with the founding of a trade union in 1839, it was possible to build more elaborate infrastructure such as the Kunstradstube, the water-wheel powering the pumps. The last phase of mining, from 1898 to 1927, took place under the management of the Blaufarbenwerk Niederpfannenstiel, which required the arsenopyrite as a catalyst for nickel processing. An investigation by SAG Wismut in 1950 was unsuccessful, and they blew up the mouth hole in 1956.

The Reichenbach-Hoffnung-Stollen (Reichenbach Hope adit) was excavated as part of a ABM, a labour promotion project financed by the German unemployment insurance. It was so successful that the people involved founded the Interessengemeinschaft historischer Erzbergbau Lößnitz e.V. The association has the task of maintaining traditional mining customs and preserving the mining heritage. This includes the restoration of the mining relics in the Kuttengrund. The above-ground and underground facilities are maintained, and guided tours are offered to the public.