Besucherbergwerk in Bad Friedrichshall-Kochendorf

Useful Information

photography — Besucherbergwerk in Bad Friedrichshall-Kochendorf, Germany. Public Domain.

Location:	Bergrat-Bilfinger-Straße 1, 74177 Bad Friedrichshall. Bad Friedrichshall-Kochendorf, 10 km north of Heilbronn. A6 (E50) exit Heilbronn, B27 north to Kochendorf, turn left. (49.219508, 9.209367)
Open:	MAI to 03-JUL Sat, Sun, Hol 9:30-15:30. 04-JUL to 25-JUL Fri, Sat, Sun, Hol 9:30-15:30. 26-JUL to 03-OKT Sat, Sun, Hol 9:30-15:30. Last exit 17:30. [2025]
Fee:	Adults EUR 12.50, Children (6-16) EUR 7,, Children (0-5) free, Students (17-24) EUR 10, Disabled EUR 9, Families (2+*) EUR 35. Groups (20+): Adults EUR 11. [2025]
Classification:	Salt Mine
Light:	Incandescent
Dimension:	L=700.000 m, T=18 °C.
Guided tours:	self guided, D=2.5 h, VR=180 m, L=1.500 m
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	yes
Bibliography:	W. Hansch, T. Simon (2003): Das Steinsalz aus dem Mittleren Muschelkalk Südwestdeutschlands museo, 20, 240 S. [Veröffentlichungen der Städtischen Museen Heilbronn] T. Simon (1995): Salz und Salzgewinnung im nördlichen Baden-Württemberg Geologie – Technik – Geschichte. – Forschungen aus Württembergisch Franken, 42, S. 1–441. W. Werner, G. Bohnenberger, A. Höllerbauer (2003b): Verwendung und wirtschaftliche Bedeutung des Steinsalzes aus dem Muschelkalk Südwestdeutschlands In: W. Hansch & T. Simon (Hrsg.). Das Steinsalz aus dem Mittleren Muschelkalk Südwestdeutschlands, S. 206–220, Heilbronn (museo, 20).
Address:	Südwestdeutsche Salzwerke AG, Salzbergwerk Bad Friedrichshall-Kochendorf, Bergrat-Bilfinger-Straße 1, 74177 Bad Friedrichshall, Tel: +49-7136-271-3303. E-mail: Stadt Bad Friedrichshall, Stadtmarketing, Tourismus & Kultur, Tel: +49-7136-832-127. 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

1816	Bergrat Bilfinger drills into a solid rock salt deposit in Jagstfeld at a depth of 150 metres for the first time in Central Europe.
1859	Under the direction of the geologist and salinist Friedrich von Alberti, the first shaft is sunk down to the salt.
1895	End of salt mining in Jagstfeld due to water ingress and collapse of salt pillars, first shaft sunk in Kochendorf.
1899	salt mine opened by the Salzwerke Heilbronn AG.
1901	shaft named after König Wilhelm II..
1984	3,7 km underground connection to the mine at Heilbronne created.
1994	mine closed, refilled with hazardous waste.
2010-2011	Show mine closed due to renovation.
2017	Continuous Miner exhibited.
2020	Show mine closed due to carcinogenic nitrosamines in the air.
2025	Show mine reopened.

Geology

200 Ma ago, the area around Bad Friedrichshall was part of a huge inland shallow sea, the Germanic Basin. This was connected to the Tethys in the south via narrow passages. Salt water flowed into the inland sea without an outlet and evaporated there because the climate was desert-like. During evaporation, the concentration of dissolved substances increased until they reached the point of supersaturation and were precipitated. First limestone, then gypsum and finally salt were deposited. Further inflowing water added more salt and the sequence started all over again. Tectonic changes led to the deposition of other sedimentary rocks on top of the salt layer, so that it is now deep underground. Water-impermeable marl layers prevent the salt from coming into contact with groundwater and being dissolved.

Description

The tour through the Besucherbergwerk Bad Friedrichshall-Kochendorf starts with a 30-second elevator ride down the shaft to the 180 m level. The Kristallsaal (crystal chamber) shows the beauty of the salt and the crystals it forms, displayed with indirect light. This is where Bad Friedrichshall being named a town in 1951 and the 100th anniversary of the mine in 1999 were celebrated. In the Technikkammer (technology chamber) the mining technologies for salt, now and then, are explained. A multimedia show explains formation, geology, mining history, modern mining, and processing of the salt. The huge figures aus dinosaurs are meant to symbolize the creation time of the salt, but we guess they are intended mostly for children.

An exhibition is dedicated to the Kochendorf concentration camp. The prisoners had to work underground for armaments production at the end of the Second World War. It was one of twelve satellite camps of the former Natzweiler concentration camp. The memorial was created by the Miklos Klein Foundation Bad Friedrichshall.

The visitor sees mining technology like conveyors and trucks inside the mine. But this part of the mine at Kochendorf is not working any more. Most of it is refilled and used to store hazardous waste. The huge chambers, 15 m wide, 5-10 m high and 20 m long each, are ideal for this. Backfilling is also urgently needed to prevent collapses, subsidence of the overburden and the resulting damage to the earth’s surface. However, the area of the show mine is a listed building and will be preserved.

Since 2017, the exhibition includes a continuous miner, a mining machine with a length of 13.4 m, a width of 7.2 m, a height of 5.3 m and a weight of 120 tonnes. The cutting drum is equipped with 94 carbide teeth that cut the salt rock directly out of the mountain. It was in operation from May 2006 to March 2016 and has extracted around 8 million tonnes of rock salt and driven 111 km of tunnel in just under 10 years. As Bad Friedrichshall was shut down in 1994, it was obviously in use in another salt mine. However, they do not tell which one that was.

The highlight of the visit comes at the very end. For some, this is the Kuppelsaal (dome hall) with the transparent and colourfully patterned salt on the walls. It has monumental reliefs carved into the salt in side niches. This room is used for the Music in the Mine concert series. For others, the highlight is probably the slide, 42 m long and with a height difference of 11 m. Such slides were used by miners as a fast means of transport and for many people they are typical for salt mines. However, they were not common in Bad Friedrichshall and so this slide was brought here to satisfy visitors’ expectations.

The show mine does not offer guided tours; you go to the shaft and take the next lift down. Here you follow the signposted tour from chamber to chamber until you arrive back at the shaft. The whole thing is more like an underground museum with interactive displays than a mine. As the mine is accessed by lift and the entire tour has no steps, the visit is also suitable for wheelchairs. Depending on your interests, a visit takes between 2 and 3 hours. If you would like an expert guided tour, you can get one from a tour guide from the town of Bad Friedrichshall. There is a normal guided tour and a special one for children. The show mine was closed in 2010 and 2011 while the exhibitions were set up in their current form. The closure in 2020 was unplanned, however, as carcinogenic nitrosamines had been discovered in the air. The cause was the repository in the other parts of the mine where hazardous waste is stored. Amine-contaminated waste materials from foundries led to the formation of the nitrosamines. The mine has since been cleaned and ventilated, and such waste is no longer stored.