Schaubergwerk am Grillenberg

Useful Information

Location:	Bergwerkstraße 1, 2650 Payerbach. 70 km south of Wien (Vienna). Start at Payerbach/Werning. Take the RUFbus Semmering-Rax to the Schaubergwerk PY15 stop. Follow geologic trail to the mine entrance, 10 minutes walk. (47.692302, 15.887720)
Open:	MAY to OCT Sat 14:30, after appointment. [2026]
Fee:	Adults EUR 12, Children (4-15) EUR 7. [2026]
Classification:	Iron Mine Copper Mine
Light:	helmet and headlamp provided
Dimension:	L=4,000 m, T=8 °C.
Guided tours:	D=60 min, Min=4.
Photography:
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Schaubergwerk Grillenberg, Bergwerkstraße 1, 2650 Payerbach. Führungen: Gemeinde Payerbach, Tel: +43-2666-52423-12. E-mail: Geoschule Payerbach, Ing. Mag. Wolfgang Axamit, Bergwerkstraße 1, 2650 Payerbach, Tel: +43-650-6342878. E-mail: Tourismusbüro Payerbach, Ortsplatz 7, 2650 Payerbach, Tel: +43-2666-52423-12. 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

1000 BC	oldest traces of copper mining.
10th century	first iron mining.
1791	first tunnel built by Innerberger Hauptgewerkschaft named Maria Schutz Stollen.
1840-1845	Ferrostollen on the lowest level built.
1888	cable car for the transportation of the ore built.
1902	mine closed.
World War I	reopened for war production.
World War II	reopened for war production.
1950	furnaces from the 12th century discovered.
1954	cable car destroyed.
1959	Bronze Age copper smelting site excavated.
22-MAR-1991	Stollentaufe: the collapsed entrance tunnel is reopened by the Geoschule Payerbach.
05-OCT-1992	inauguration of the show mine by Landes-Hauptmann Siegfried Ludwig.

Geology

The Grillenberg deposit is enclosed by greywacke, a thin band of sedimentary rocks from the Palaeozoic. The main ore was siderite, locally called Spateisenstein. It has a very high content of iron of about 55%.

Description

The Schaubergwerk Grillenberg is an iron ore mine accessed via the Herlinde adit. It was named after Herlinde Ludwig, the wife of the former governor of Lower Austria, Mag. Siegfried Ludwig. The first 33 metres of this tunnel collapsed after the mine was closed and were reopened by the Payerbach Geoschool in 1991. This made the historic mine accessible again and it was converted into a show mine. The rails of the mine railway are still in the tunnel, and there are numerous stalactite formations. Finally, you reach the filling site where the iron-bearing layers are located. From here, mining took place in various directions. One tunnel leads to a shaft that led to a 120-metre-deep mine, but this has been flooded since the pumps were shut down.

Mining began on Grillenberg in the Rax Valley during the Bronze Age, when chalcopyrite was mined for its copper content. In the 12th century, iron mining took place here, which continued until the end of the Second World War. This was proven by archaeological excavations beginning in 1950, which first uncovered a 12th-century iron smelter and, in 1959, a Bronze Age copper smelter. In historical times, the first known activities were the construction of the Maria Schutz Tunnel in 1791 by the Innerberg Main Trade Union. After only 15 metres, they reached the ore. Mining was intensified again when two more tunnels were built in the 19th century. In 1888, an iron ore cable car was built in Werning. However, mining was discontinued in 1892 due to unprofitability. It seems that mining was repeatedly resumed and then discontinued again a little later, depending on the price of iron. Finally, during the First and Second World Wars, iron was of course important for the war effort and was mined regardless of profitability. The final blow came quite dramatically in 1945, when the advancing Red Army killed the operations manager and sealed the tunnel. With the dismantling of the cableway in 1954, mining came to a definitive end.

This mine was reopened by the Geoschule Payerbach (Payerbach Geoschool) association and converted into a show mine. The association offers courses in mineralogy, geology and semi-precious stone cutting. In addition, they continue to maintain the show mine together with the municipality of Payerbach. Until a few years ago, guided tours were offered regularly on weekends, but due to coronavirus restrictions, appointments had to be made in advance. The show mine has the domain schaubergwerk.com, which seems somewhat curious and also presumptuous. However, it has not been maintained since 2023, and the municipality’s website does not list any opening hours either. Unfortunately, we cannot say with certainty whether it will be possible to visit the guided tour on Saturday afternoon without booking in advance.