Bergbau- und Heimatmuseum Mühlbach

Erlebnisschaustollen Johanna-Stollen

Useful Information

Location:	Mühlbach am Hochkönig. (47.377271, 13.127474)
Open:	Museum: MAY to JUN Wed-Fri 13-17. JUL to AUG Tue-Fri 12:30-17. SEP Wed-Fri 13-17. OCT Thu, Fri 13-17. Last entry 1 h before closing. Schaustollen: MAY to JUN Wed-Fri 14. JUL to AUG Tue-Fri 14, 15:30. SEP Wed-Fri 14. OCT Thu, Fri 14. Mine Train: MAY to OCT Thu during the adit tour. [2026]
Fee:	Museum: Adults EUR 7, Children EUR 3.50, Students EUR 3.50. Groups (10+): Adults EUR 6. Schaustollen: Adults EUR 8, Children EUR 4.50, Students EUR 4.50. Groups (10+): Adults EUR 7. Both: Adults EUR 12, Children EUR 6, Students EUR 6. Groups (10+): Adults EUR 10. [2026]
Classification:	Copper Mine
Light:	Electric Light Oldest Mines
Dimension:
Guided tours:	Museum self guided, others guided. Audioguides:
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Bergbau- und Heimatmuseum Mühlbach, Mühlbach am Hochkönig 237, 5505 Mühlbach am Hochkönig, Tel: +43-676-7733182, Tel: +43-6467-7235. 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

2000 BP	beginning of mining activities.
1827	ore rediscovered.
1829	start of historic mining activities.
30-JUN-1977	mine closed.

Geology

Description

The Bergbau- und Heimatmuseum Mühlbach (Mühlbach Mining and Local History Museum) is a museum dedicated to the 4,000-year history of mining in Mühlbach. It is located in the former Knappenheim in Mühlbach am Hochkönig. In Austrian mining terminology, a miner is known as a "Knappe", and the house served as mass accommodation for the miners.

The exhibition begins with prehistoric mining, the remains of which were found in archaeological excavations in the area. Mining began around 2000 BC and continued through the Bronze Age until around 800 BC. More than 190 smelting sites have now been identified in the area, the oldest of which are on the Götschenberg in Bischofshofen. Part of the exhibition is the Nebra Sky Disk. The disk on display is a replica; the original is located in Halle. It is exhibited here because the copper used to make it came from this mine. This was revealed by radiological and chemical analysis of the metals. This proves both the long distances over which it was transported and traded, as well as the age of local mining. Around 800 BC, the Hallstatt period, also known as the Early Iron Age, began, and mining obviously shifted to iron ore. Copper mining was therefore discontinued here.

Historical mining in Mühlbach began in 1827 with the rediscovery of ore. According to legend, the search for a lost loaf of bread led to the discovery of pieces of copper pyrite, which revived mining. From 1829 onwards, copper was mined on a large scale, and the mine was one of the largest copper mines in Central Europe. This time, mining ceased in the 1970s because the world market price for copper fell so sharply that it was no longer profitable to operate. The historical mining section displays lamps, tools and memorabilia from the miners. There is a collection of Gezähe, the miners' term for hammer and chisel. This was the basic tool for mining, with the chisel held in one hand and struck with the hammer in the other. Depending on the rock, the miner could advance the tunnel by about 1 cm per day. However, these were hardly relevant here, as mining in the 19th century already used explosives. An exhibition on explosives shows the development of mining with the help of modern blasting techniques. There are several tools that visitors can pick up to get a feel for them. There is also a large collection of mining lamps, from the early oil lamps called frogs to electric lamps. One room is dedicated to geology and mineralogy, with an exhibition of ores and minerals from the Mitterberg mining district. Finally, there is an exhibition on uranium minerals, including a Geiger counter.

The museum also has a room for temporary exhibitions. Currently, there is an exhibition that has nothing to do with mining, but rather deals with the development of skiing and the town's most famous athlete, ski jumper Sepp 'Buwi' Bradl. Outside, there is an open-air exhibition with large machines, including a mine railway with a locomotive and carriages.

The Erlebnisschaustollen Johanna-Stollen is an adit nearby, which was made accessible to visitors. On the days when the museum is open, there is also a guided tour into this adit. The tour starts at the museum. The tunnel is rather big, about 2 m wide and 2.5 m high, and was transformed into an underground mining museum. The exhibition has 15 stations about mining, drilling, blasting and extraction technology of the largest copper district in the Eastern Alps, the "Mitterberg" in Mühlbach am Hochkönig. Important stations are the Bohrhammer, the drilling machine for drilling the holes for the explosive, the blast simulation, and the Kinderklopfstation, where children had to make the blasted ore smaller with hammers. There is also a station which explains the ancient method of weakening the rock with a fire and cold water.

A third sight is the mining trail, which is well signposted. The stops along this trail are Pingen (old open cast mines) and collapsed mines. The stops are described in the book Mühlbacher Wanderführer. Once a week is a free, guided walk.

There is also a mine train which is used for public train rides, currently on Thursdays. 35 years after the closure of the mine the train was restored. A diesel engine pulls carts with seats which were used to bring the miners to their workplace. The train runs on a 150 m long track on the surface, so the fun is actually weather depending.

The tunnel and the mine railway were closed in 2022 for renovation work, but are now open again. In the winter of 2025/26, the museum itself was completely renovated and modernised. However, we do not know whether the new name Kupfer-Bergbaumuseum Mühlbach am Hochkönig (Mühlbach am Hochkönig Copper Mining Museum) is also part of the renovation.