Felsendome Rabenstein


Useful Information

Location: At Rabenstein, west of Chemnitz.
Open: All year daily 10-17.
Tours every hour on the full hour.
[2015]
Fee: Adults EUR 7, Children (0-6) EUR 4, School Pupils EUR 5.
Groups (10+): Adults EUR 6, Children (0-6) EUR 3.50, School Pupils EUR 4.50.
[2015]
Classification: MineLimestone Mine, Marble
Light: LightIncandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:
Guided tours: L=700 m, D=40 min.
Photography: Allowed
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible
Bibliography:
Address: Felsendome Rabenstein, Weg nach dem Kalkwerk 4, 09117 Chemnitz, Tel: 0371-8080037 (Gaststätte), Fax: 0371-8080038 (Gaststätte) E-mail: contact
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

1365 first written mention.
1906 mining closed.
1936 opened as a show mine.

Geology

The Felsendome Rabenstein are a result of limestone mining. Near Rabenstein is a layer of marble, which is surrounded by phyllites and amphibolites.

Description

The show mine Felsendome Rabenstein (Rock Domes Rabenstein) is often counted as a tourist sight of Chemnitz. But actually it is located in the town Niederrabenstein west of Chemnitz at the A72 motorway. The underground here is composed of metamorphic rocks of which the marble is great interest. Marble is needed for many purposes, so it was mined for a long time. The first written mention of the mines is from 1365, but actually the mine existed for many years at this time.

The mining started at the surface, with open cast quarrying, but soon it was necessary to follow the marble underground. The result of the mining activities, estimated at 30 Million work hours, is a series of huge chambers. The chambers are 30 m by 30 m and up to 9 m high, depending on the stability of marble. The Domsaal (Dome Chamber) is 35 m long, 32 m wide and 9 m hig, the Blaue Grotte (Blue Grotto) has about the same sire. The Labyrinth is even bigger, 45 m by 55 m, but only 4.5 m high. The excavation was made in four levels, but after the mining ended the lower two levels were flooded by groundwater.

The Grüne Grotte (Green Grotto) has an underground lake, which is the starting point of cave diving tours. As this is no cave, it should actually be named mine diving tours, but the term cave diving is better know. The diving into level three and four show up to 130 m long tunnels.

The Felsendome offer underground marriages. In front is a restaurant with beer garden and barbecue area.