Bergbaumuseum Karl-Schacht

Useful Information

Location:	Karlschacht 1, 8580 Rosental an der Kainach. (47.0552118, 15.1055464)
Open:	MAY to OCT by appointment. [2025]
Fee:	Adults EUR 6, Children (6-14) EUR 3, Children (0-5) free, Students (-26) EUR 3, Seniors (65+) EUR 5, Families (2+*) EUR 12. Groups (10+): Adults EUR 5, Children (6-14) EUR 2,50. [2025]
Classification:	Lignite Mine
Light:	Incandescent
Dimension:
Guided tours:
Photography:
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:	Ernst Lasnik (2012): Voitsberg - Porträt einer Stadt und ihrer Umgebung Band 1. Stadtgemeinde Voitsberg, Voitsberg 2012, S. 193, 279–282.
Address:	Bergbaumuseum Karl-Schacht, Karlschacht 1, 8580 Rosental an der Kainach, Tel: +43-3142-22242-13. Gemeinde Rosental a.d Kainach, Hauptstraße 85, 8582 Rosental, Tel: +43-3142-222-42. 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

1762	begin of mining when Anton Weidinger opened prospecting pits in the Voitsberg district.
1768	Weidinger hands over the mines to the Steinkohlen-Rektifikations-Sozietät (Coal Rectification Society).
1857	The Tregister Kohlenbergbau-Gesellschaft and I. Voitsberger Kohlenwerke AG found the Voitsberg mining district.
14-DEC-1969	The Karl-Schacht I open-cast mine is destroyed by a major landslide.
06-JUL-1990	The Karl-Schacht III mine is closed.
2004	end of lignite mining by GKB-Bergbau GmbH in the Oberdorf-Bärnbach open-cast mine.
2010	the municipality of Rosental an der Kainach decides to establish a mining museum.

Geology

Description

At the Karlschacht, there is a museum also known as the Bergbaumuseum Karlschacht (Karlschacht Mining Museum) or Bergbaumuseum Karl-Schacht (Karl-Schacht Mining Museum). In Eastern Styria, there is lignite, which was mined in open-cast mines and underground. Lignite mining ended in September 2004 when mining ceased at the "Oberdorf-Bärnbach open-cast mine" owned by GKB-Bergbau GmbH. Coal mining provided work and livelihoods for thousands of people for more than 250 years.

The mining museum was established in the area of the former shaft house of the Karl-Schacht III coal mine. The development of mining techniques is explained in an exhibition area of around 300 m². It began with purely manual labour in the early 19th century. Later, from the middle of the 19th century onwards, steam-powered hoisting machines and pumps were used, as well as the railway as a means of transport. Modern underground mining techniques and large machines such as bucket chain and bucket wheel excavators were used in the last decades of the 20th century. In addition, the social and folkloric aspects of mining are explained. The large machines from the last phase of mining are particularly noteworthy. The highlight of the open-air museum is an 86-tonne Menck mining excavator.

The beginning of mining in the Voitsberg area is believed to be 1762, when Anton Weidinger opened a prospecting mine. However, he was unsuccessful because the coal business was not doing well at the time, and so he handed over the mines to the Steinkohlen-Rektifikations-Sozietät (Coal Rectification Society) in 1768. This society was also unable to hold on for long, and the mines were sold to private individuals who mined coal for their own use. This resulted in a large number of very small mines, and from 1840 onwards there were efforts to consolidate them, but in 1857 there were still 37 independent mine owners. In that year, the Tregister Kohlenbergbau-Gesellschaft and the I. Voitsberger Kohlenwerke AG formed the Voitsberger Bergrevier (Voitsberg mining district).

The Karl Shaft, with its three different shaft systems and large open-cast mine, is one of the largest and best-known coal mines in Styria. This deposit was mined for around 150 years, yielding more than 62 million tonnes of high-quality lignite.