Schaubergwerk Hochfeld

Knappenwand

Useful Information

Location:	Neukirchen, Hochfeld im Untersulzbachtal. Inntalautobahn either exit Kufstein from the north or exit Wörgl Ost from the south. Follow signs to Kitzbühel, then Pass Thurn to Mittersill and then Neukirchen. Tauernautobahn exit Bischofshofen, then Zell am See, Mittersill, Neukirchen. Park at the Einödbrücke at the Salzach river. There are two trails to the mine, both about 1 hour. It is also possible to charter a Tälertaxi (bus shuttle). (47.2219588, 12.2739545)
Open:	07-JUL to SEP Mon-Fri 11-13, 14-15. Advance booking by telephone is mandatory. eLINER: 07-JUL to SEP Tue, Wed 10:15. [2025]
Fee:	Adults EUR 10, Children (10-15) EUR 5. Combined ticket with eLINER: Adults EUR 15, Children (10-15) EUR 10. [2025]
Classification:	Copper Mine
Light:	Electric Light
Dimension:	L=4,000 m, T=6 °C.
Guided tours:	L=1,200 m, D=2 h. V=7,000 [2007] V=2,500 [2012]
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Schaubergwerk Hochfeld, Untersulzbach 16, 5741 Neukirchen, Tel: +43-720-710-730. 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

1525	first written account of the copper mining at the Untersulzbachtal.
1537	name Hochfeld first time mentioned.
1701	Gregori Perger from Bramberg started mining but lost all his money.
1745	a fire destroys all mining buildings on the surface.
1758	Fürsterzbischofs von Salzburg owns 8/9th of the mines.
1761	buildings and roads destroyed by a flood.
1780	new technologies caused an increase of production.
1781	Fürsterzbischofs von Salzburg owns all mines.
1805	mines taken over by the country Austria.
1810	mining became Bavarian for a short time and was named Königlich-Bayerischer Kupfer Bergbau Untersulzbach.
1855	the mining was not rentable any more and was sold to a new private owner.
1857	mines closed.
1909	mines reopened.
1928	mines closed.
1946	mines reopened after World War II.
1954	mines finally closed.
1986-1996	developed as a show mine by the Zukunftskollegium Nationalpark Hohe Tauern Neukirchen.
2011	show mine taken over by Hohe Tauern National Park.
2013	show mine closed by Hohe Tauern National Park.
AUG-2013	Geo-Lehrweg (educational trail) opened.

Geology

This part of Austria is called the Tauernfenster (Tauern window) and is a window of old, variated crystalline rocks bordered by a frame of young sedimentary rocks. This is a typical structure for alpine orogenes, where the uplift is strongest in the center and so the crystalline basement is uplifted and reaches the surface after the overlying sedimentrary rock are eroded.

The copper ores are a result of hydrothermal activities at the ocean floor some 700 to 350 Million years ago. The copper formed layers in the sedimentary rocks, but it was subsidized, metamorphized, and finally during the last 35 Million years folded during the alpine orogeny.

The area is famous for its numerous minerals, which formed in clefts and are pretty variated. Unlike countries like Australia, fossicking is allowed as long as nature and pasture are not destroyed. So if you like to collect minerals do so, but do not start to bring heavy machinery. A fine area for fossicking is the Knappenwand, famous for its epidotes.

Description

The tour through the Schaubergwerk Hochfeld starts with the Hieronymus-Erbstollen (Hieronymus adit), which was a drainage tunnel or adit. The visitors now reach the main Hieronymus tunnel, the Hauptgesenk. Through the Hieronymus Abendstollflügel the visitor cross the Untersulzbach, the river of the valley above, 35 m underground. An underground staircase called Rudlfahrte is used to climb up to the next big mining location called St. Martin-Unterbau. Following the central ore bearing rocks, the visitors cimb up to the St. Martin-Stollen, which is used to leave the mine. The Knappenweg (miners path) is a trail on the surface which shows the remains of the surface buildings and brings the visitors back to the mine entrance. In Austrian mining terminology, a Knappenweg is the path that miners took to get to the mine or to transport ore away.

The mines at the Hochfeld in the Untersulzbachtal (valley of the Untersulzbach) mined a deposit of very little and thin seams of very high grade copper ore. The heydays were between 1780 and 1855, the yearly production was around 25 tons of copper.

The tours are a little strenuous, and the mine is also cold. Wear sturdy boots and good and warm clothes. A less time-consuming and strenuous alternative is a visit to the Samerhofstall (Samerhof stable) in Neukirchen. This former stable was converted into a nature museum by the National Park. Beneath exhibitions on various topics like the Canadian coastal rainforest, there is one main topic, the copper mining at Hochfeld. There is also the Geo-Lehrweg "Blick ins Tauernfenster" (geology trail "View into the Tauern window"), at the end of which the 133-metre-long St. Martin-Stollen tunnel can be explored. The geo-trail starts at the Schütthof inn in Neukirchen, is a good 2 km long, and you should allow about 2 hours for the round trip and sightseeing.

As already mentioned, visiting the mine requires some physical fitness. This is probably the reason why visitor numbers have always been quite low. However, this is offset by considerable maintenance costs. In most cases, a show mine can only be run on a voluntary basis, but the income should at least cover the unavoidable costs. Over the years, the association has received substantial government subsidies, and later it also received subsidies from the national park. The national park took over the show mine in 2011, which added personnel costs and resulted in a loss of €67,000 per year. As the national park does not consider itself responsible for communicating mining history, only for communicating geology, the show mine was replaced by the Geo-Lehrweg in 2013. This decision by the national park was heavily criticised. Basically, this institution was overwhelmed by the operation of a show mine, safety regulations were not complied with, and, in addition, the plans for closure were probably not communicated. It was particularly annoying that the association had voluntarily renewed the lighting system shortly before the handover. At some point, the national park apparently gave in to public pressure and the show mine is now at least accessible again during the summer months.

One last note. The association which operated the show mine was based in the Samerhofstall, a historic building. It was also known as the Samerhofstall Cultural and Information Centre and housed an information point for the national park. The exhibition Mineral & Ore Miners' Trail Untersulzbachtal was exceptional. Unfortunately, the museum is permanently closed and any references still existing on the internet are out of date.