Bergbaumuseum Röhrigschacht

Useful Information

Location:	In Wettelrode, 5 km north of Sangerhausen. (51.5172544, 11.2820637)
Open:	Museum: All year Wed-Sun 10-16. Seilfahrten (elevator lifts aka tours): 10:30, 11:45, 13, 14:15. [2026]
Fee:	Museum: Adults EUR 4, Children (5-16) EUR 2. Museum and mine: Adults EUR 22, Children (5-16) EUR 8, Families (2+2) EUR 50. Groups (20+): Adults EUR 18. Tour 1 Segen-Gottes-Schlotte EUR 139. Tour 2 Elisabethschächter Schlotte EUR 159. Tour 3 Altbergbau EUR 70. Tour 4 Altbergbau Spezial EUR 129. [2026]
Classification:	Copper Mine Karst Cave gypsum cave,
Light:	Electric Light
Dimension:
Guided tours:	VR=283 m, L=1,000 m on mine train, L=500 m on foot, D=75 min.
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	yes
Bibliography:
Address:	Bergbaumuseum Röhrigschacht, 06528 Wettelrode, Tel: +49-3464-587816. 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

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~1200	start of mining activities in this area.
1452	first mentioned.
1618-1648	during the 30 years war the mining activities stopped completely.
1675	the closed mines were reopened.
1825	the Mansfelder Gewerkschaft started to buy mines and modernize them.
1830	Segen Gottes Stollen started.
01-OCT-1885	mining ended.
1922	steel shaft hoisting frame erected.
1922-1930	exploration of the deposits without result.
1951	used for air supply of the Sangerhausen mine.
1987	Open-cast mining museum opens.
10-AUG-1990	mining ended.
19-MAR-1991	new museum and show mine opened.
2013	permanent exhibition “This and much more comes from mining” has opened.

Geology

The copper mining activities of Thuringia are based on a 30 to 35 cm thick layer of schist, which contains a rather low amount of copper. But this copper was rather easy to access and it was possible to process since the early Middle Ages. So mining has a very long tradition and many mines and caves in this area have a historic connection to this copper schist.

At the end of the locally so called Rotliegendes (Cisuralian, Early Permian) the area was submerged and became a shallow sea. During the Zechstein huge layers of gypsum were deposited from a shallow sea in an arid climate. The water evaporated and the gypsum, which was dissolved in the water, remained. But during a short period of time, in between, a rather thin layer of clay, limestone and coal was deposited, the so called Kupferschiefer. All those German names are a result of early German mining history. Kupferschiefer translates copper schist, which is easy to understand. Rotliegendes translates red lying, named so because it was red and lying below the ore. Zechstein or mine rock was the material above the ore, and the miners had to mine through to reach the ore.

The copper schist is typically covered by three to four km of sedimentary rocks, all over northern Europe. But during the Cretacious the Harz Mountains were formed by an uplift, which forced a way through all those layers. The uplifted rocks were eroded in the process. The Harz Mountains therefore consist of what is known as the basement rock; the rocks that previously lay on top of it have been completely weathered away. Around the Harz, the layers were uplifted too, sometimes even inclined, slanted and turned over. And so the copper layer was reaching the surface all around the Harz and was accessible to medieval miners in open cast mines. During time the mines followed the dropping copper ore away from the Harz, and open cast mining was replace by deep mining techniques. This mine was a rather young one, with its heyday during the 19th century. By that time, copper slate had already been mined so extensively in the basin that it lay almost 300 metres below the surface.

Description

The Röhrigschacht Show Mine is located in Wettelrode, north of Sangerhausen. It began as an above-ground museum dedicated to the geology and mineralogy of the deposit, as well as the 800-year history of copper-slate mining. This opened back in 1987, when the mine was still in operation. In 2013, the museum underwent extensive refurbishment and the permanent exhibition “This and much more comes from mining” was opened. However, Mining is just one of three main themes; the other two are The Mountain, i.e. the geology of the deposit, and The Miner, i.e. the life and work of the miners over a span of 800 years. The museum exhibits tools and other equipment, and features models, historical documents and photographic records. The collection of minerals and fossils is exceptional, as the copper slate contains many fossils. The open-air museum in the courtyard displays drilling and loading equipment, underground transport vehicles, mining machinery, and equipment and machinery for ventilation and water drainage. In the spoil heap area, there is an exhibition of shaft hoisting technology used in copper slate mining, and the hoisting equipment of the show mine can also be viewed. The steel hoisting frame is one of the oldest in Europe, complemented by a hoisting machine dating from 1922. However, the reconstruction of a tunnel in the spoil heap was no longer required following the opening of the underground tour.

The tour of the show mine is a genuine underground mining tour, during which visitors are equipped with a helmet, miner’s lamp and cape. A lift then takes them almost 300 m down to the first level. This is followed by an 800 m ride on the mine railway and a walking tour. The tour is very impressive and provides an insight into almost 800 years of mining history. Mining was carried out lying down, as the copper slate was only half a metre thick. The technology is illustrated with vivid dioramas. Visitors walk through the mine railway tunnel themselves, which fortunately is not too low. As the route has no steps, the tour is even wheelchair-accessible.

For those who are reasonably fit and can walk a few kilometres through water, there are various tours to the other levels of the mine. The Segen-Gottes-Schlotte or Marienglasschlotte is a natural cave in the gypsum that was struck during mining operations in 1854. The first name refers to the drainage tunnel through which it was cut; the second describes the extraordinary gypsum crystals in the cave. A miner’s helmet, torch and waders are provided. The tour lasts 7 hours. The tour to the Elisabethschächter-Schlotte or Alabasterschlotte is very similar, but it is a little more strenuous and lasts 8 hours. A 4.5-hour tour of the old mine from 1880, on the other hand, requires less physical fitness; please bring your own wellington boots. Finally, there is also a tour that includes a boat trip. It lasts 5 hours and, thanks to the leisurely boat trip, is the least strenuous tour; canoes, mining helmets, torches, waders, knee pads and life jackets are provided.

The Röhrigschacht is certainly one of the best visitor mines in Germany; after all, the tour includes both a ride in a mine cage and a trip on the mine railway, whereas most visitor mines do not even offer one of these. The museum is exceptionally informative, with short films explaining many aspects of mining in an entertaining way. The museum shop offers books, minerals and mineral-based products, weather lamps and lighting, commemorative coins and even special schnapps and liqueurs. A mining trail leading to the oldest mining remains and several open-cast mines begins and ends at the Röhrigschacht.