Zeittunnel Wülfrath

Useful Information

Location:	Hammerstein 5, 42489 Wülfrath. (51.2876405, 7.0501882)
Open:	APR to OCT Tue-Sun 10-18. [2025]
Fee:	Adults EUR 7, Children (4-16) EUR 4.50, Students EUR 4.50, Disabled EUR 4.50, Families EUR 17. [2025]
Classification:	Limestone Mine Mining Museum
Light:	Incandescent
Dimension:	L=160 m, T=16 °C.
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	yes
Bibliography:
Address:	Zeittunnel Wülfrath, Hammerstein 5, 42489 Wülfrath, Tel: +49-2058-175-686. 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

1942	tunnel converted in an air raid shelter.
2018	Exhibition modernised.

Geology

Limestone is a biogenic sedimentary rock, in other words the skeletons and shells of various creatures. These take the dissolved limestone from the seawater and when they die, the skeletons are deposited. However, the limestones of the Sauerland were not deposited over a wide area. The marine chemistry was such that sandstones, siltstones and mudstones were deposited. From the oldest Devonian (400 Ma) to the Upper Carboniferous (300 Ma), weathering debris from the neighbouring mainland was deposited and reached a thickness of 6 to 7 km. However, there were also reefs, the reef-forming sponges consisted of limestone and as they were not deposited they have no stratification. They are therefore referred to as Massenkalk (lit: mass limestone).

Description

At first glance, it may seem a little strange that we have categorised something called the Wülfrath Time Tunnel as a mine. And yet it is a museum located in a tunnel, which has mining as its theme, and a very special one at that, the extraction of lime in quarries, something that is probably referred to as open-cast mining. And yet quarries are not considered mining by the general public, which is why our categorisation seems a little strange at first. The extraction of lime in this region was of great economic relevance, the possible uses are manifold, large quantities are needed for the production of cement, paint, plaster and more. Lime is indispensable in the construction industry. But it is also used in a variety of industrial applications; it was an important aggregate in iron smelting in the nearby Ruhr area. It is also rather rare in northern Germany and in the Rhenish Slate Mountains; only here in Sauerland and Bergisches Land are there relatively small deposits of lime. In addition, lime is consumed in large quantities, so transporting it over long distances would massively increase the price. This practically forced mining here, especially before the railway was built; it had top priority and many things were subordinated to it. For example, the picturesque gorge of the Neander, the Neanderthal, was completely mined out. And that also includes the caves found there, in particular the cave where the first Neanderthal man was found, who was also named after this valley. If you are more interested in this cave, you should definitely visit the Neanderthal Museum, where the mining of limestone is presented.

However, lime mining has now ceased and the former quarries have either been renaturalised as lakes or form large depressions in the landscape. This includes the Bochumer Bruch, which can be reached through this 160 metre long tunnel. The tunnel was built to make the quarry accessible, material and machines were brought in here and lime was transported out. Strictly speaking, it should be called an adit, but as already mentioned, the terminology for quarries is different. As the tunnel is large enough for heavy machinery and lorries, there is also enough space for an underground museum. It was also extended and used as a protective bunker over a length of 80 metres during the Second World War, from 1942 onwards. And the crowning glory is the abandoned quarry, which you reach at the other end. Here you can easily see the 70 m high walls of the quarry, and if you want, you can walk along the southern wall of the quarry from here and enjoy the view from the two viewing platforms. Zeitsprung und Schrägaufzug die Aussicht in den Steinbruch geniessen.