Rischbachstollen

Useful Information

Location:	Am Grubenstollen 13, 66386 St. Ingbert. Access to the parking lot on the Obere Rischbachstraße. Signposted.
Open:	FEB, APR, JUN, AUG, OCT last St of Month 11, 12:30, 14, 15:30. [2011]
Fee:	Adults EUR 3. Groups (10+): Adults EUR 5,50. [2011]
Classification:	Coal Mine
Light:	miners lampprovided
Dimension:	T=9 °C
Guided tours:	D=90 min, L=1,000 m.
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Besucherbergwerk Rischbachstollen e.V., Am Grubenstollen 13, 66386 St. Ingbert, Tel: +49-6894-1690-490, Fax: +49-6894-1690-491. E-mail: Stadt St. Ingbert, Abteilung Kultur, Tel: +49-6894-13514. 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

1959	St. Ingbert closed.
1990	start of renovation by the Besucherbergwerk Rischbachstollen e.V..
1994	opened as a show mine.

Geology

Description

The show mine Rischbachstollen is the only coal mine open as a show mine in the tri-border area of Saarland, Luxembourg and France. The Rischbachstollen is a former tunnel of the colliery Grube St. Ingbert. Since 1990 it is developed as a show mine by enthusiastic former miners. Today more than one kilometer is open to the public and shows the mining of coal during the 1880s. This was the heyday of the local coal mining. During the creation of the exhibition the volunteers seem to have read the book Germinal (1885) of the French author Emile Zola (*1840-✝1902). The mining of coal manually with hammer and chisel are shown. Pit horses puled coal waggons and transported the coal out of the mine. The next stations show the technical development of the Grube St. Ingbert util it was closed in 1959. The typical tools and equipment is presented, the typical driling techniques, and the signals used inside the mine.

The tour starts at the Zechenhaus, the former mine entrance building. Here the visitors are equipped with helmet, coat, headlamp, belt accumulator, and Arschleder. This equipment is actually not the way miners went into the mine in the 1880, it is a result of modern days security regulations. The next is an introduction into the geology and geography of the area, and the history of the colliery. Then the mine is entered through the sandstone portal. One specialty of this tour is the possibility to mine coal yourself. This way it is possible to understand how hard the work actually was. The seam Johann has a height of 80 cm and is rather steep. This is the place where visitors find out what the Arschleder (ass leather) was used for. It is simply a triangular piece of leather which was worn at the ass and used to sit on, to slide down such inclines. That's a great fun for children.

The tours are held for groups all year except Mondays after appointment. They are especially intended for school classes and youth groups. They can be held in German, English, French, and Russian language. The show mine can also be booked for the birthday party of a child. Normal individual visitors may visit the mine on so-called Tage der offenen Tür (days of the open door), on which there are scheduled tours.

The visit to the colliery is completed by the various buildings and the premises. The Zechenhaus was built in 1849 and is the place where groups eat the coarse miners lunch after the visit to the mine. In the former dormitory the historical coffee kitchen, the lamp station, and the change and wash house can be seen. A four kilometer long trail, the St. Ingberter Grubenpfad, leads to 14 stations, including the former building of the mining authority, the miners' hospital, and several miners homes.