Hüttenstollen Osterwald

Useful Information

Location:	Steigerbrink 25, 31020 Salzhemmendorf/OT Osterwald. A7 (E45) exit Hildesheim, B1 west, in Oldendorf turn right to Osterwald. (52.114267, 9.62595)
Open:	Museum: APR to OCT Wed 14-17, Sun 11-17. Mine: APR to OCT Wed 15, Sun 11, 13, 15. [2026]
Fee:	Museum: free. Mine: Adults EUR 6, Children (6-14) EUR 4, Children (0-5) free. [2026]
Classification:	Coal Mine
Light:	Electric Light
Dimension:	T=8 °C.
Guided tours:	L=900 m, D=90 min.
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Besucherbergwerk Hüttenstollen, Steigerbrink 25, 31020 Salzhemmendorf/OT Osterwald, Tel: +49-5153-964846. kontakt@der-huettenstollen.de
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

1584	Herzog Julius von Braunschweig starts mining for coal in the Osterwald.
1586	first written mentioned.
1685	leased to the Hemmendorfer Salzwerk.
1694	lease ends.
1701	Osterwalder Glashütte founded.
1740	mine modernized.
1746	sart of the Wasserstollen (adit).
1767	adit completed.
1810	new coal discovered at the Hohen-Warte.
1833	mine modernized.
1842	five new tunnels, 300 miners work at Osterwald.
1866	owned by the Prussians, Tiefbauschacht started.
1898	Tiefbauschacht completed.
1899	sold to the Fabrik für Feuer- und Säurefeste Produkte at Vassendar am Rhein.
1901	bankruptcy, mine taken over by Siemens. Numer of miners increases from 150 to 175.
1926	"Gustav-Stollen" closed.
1945	new coal layer discovered at Plattenbrink.
1948	Hüttenstollen closed.
1953	mining ends.
16 June 1980	Verein zur Förderung des Bergmannwesens Osterwald e.V. (Association for the Promotion of Mining in Osterwald) founded, development as a show mine.
28 June 1980	first 40 metres of the tunnel officially opened.
1985	local and industrial museum opened.
2009	first section of the miners' trail opened.
2012	second section of the miners' trail opened

Geology

The coal mined at Osterwald is called Wealdenkohle (Wealden coal), as it was formed during the Wealden, the lower Cretaceous. Coal from this era is found all over northern Germany, the center is in the Weser-Ems area. The coal is the remains of huge basin with moor and a tropic to subtropic forest of cypress like trees, ginkos, conifers, ferns and palm trees. This bog was now and then covered by sand, produced by rivers from the area of Osnabrück. The covered peat was the transformed into coal by coalification. The coal at Osterwald was found in five recoverable seams, which were between 35 cm and 70 cm thick.

Description

The show mine is simply called Hüttenstollen, its full name being Osterwald Visitor Mine and Museum. A 90-minute guided tour of the 450-metre-long tunnel vividly illustrates the geology and working world of the miners. As the seams are only a maximum of 70 cm thick and, in order to make mining profitable, only the coal was extracted and not the surrounding rock, the mining operations were very low. The coal was therefore cut out by hand while lying down. Only the access tunnels, such as the Hüttenstollen, were of normal height to allow quick access and transport with carts. Mining in the area began on a small scale as early as the 16th century, with Duke Julius von Braunschweig starting to dig for coal in Osterwald in 1584. However, this tunnel was not opened until 1842 and remained in operation for more than a century until its closure in 1953.

In 1977, the Osterwald local council decided to restore the Hüttenstollen tunnel and the adjacent area in order to preserve them. The reason for this was the competition "Our village should become more beautiful". The municipal director, Mr Buchmann, suggested making a section of the Hüttenstollen accessible again. The initial work was carried out by volunteers from the Rössing-Barnten Miners' Association with the support of the Salzhemmendorf building yard. The locals obviously developed an interest in mining and came up with the idea of offering regular guided tours. In 1980, the Osterwald Mining Association was founded for this purpose. The show mine was also opened in the same year.

Next to the visitor mine, just a few steps away from the tunnel entrance, there is a mining museum. This has been steadily expanded over the last few decades and now has six permanent exhibitions. Originally, the main focus was on the miners' tools. Now there are exhibitions on energy from coal, geological history with a focus on coal formation, quarries where sandstone from the Wealden stage "Bückeberg Formation" was mined, glass production in the Lauenstein glassworks, and clay processing of Wealden shale clay in brickworks. The sixth exhibition is finally about coal mining itself. This is supplemented by regular special exhibitions, lectures and other events. There are also some larger exhibits in the outdoor area.

Regular guided tours take place on Wednesdays and Sundays during the summer months. Special events are also held on public holidays. Detailed information on the topics can be found on the website. As always, the tours are characterised by the cool and damp climate in the tunnels, so a jacket and sturdy footwear are recommended. Helmets are provided, as is customary in show mines.

The Bad Münder–Osterwald miners' trail leads around Deister, Süntel, Nesselberg and Osterwald. Mining here is diverse, with coal mines, sand, clay and limestone quarries and salt works along the way. The first part of the route was opened in 2009, the second in 2012. The trail is now 5.9 km long, but there are several car parks along the way so that it can also be walked in sections.