Oberharzer Bergwerksmuseum

The Upper Harz Mining Museum is located in Clausthal-Zellerfeld in the western part of the Harz Mountains and includes the disused Kaiser-Wilhelm-II and Ottiliae mine shafts as well as the Thurm Rosenhof wheelhouse and the Dorotheer Rösche and Caroliner weather shafts. It was founded in 1892, making it the oldest technical and open-air museum in Germany. The Oberharz Mining Museum, which is located on the Harz UNESCO World Heritage Route, offers above-ground and underground World Heritage tours.

Things to see at the Oberharz Mining Museum

In the museum you can visit typical miners' living quarters and experience the way of life of the people of that time. One room in particular is dedicated to the famous Robert Koch. The Nobel Prize winner was born in Clausthal in 1843 and grew up there. Tools, miner's lamps, coins, paintings and archaeological finds are also on display in the Oberharzer Bergwerkmuseum. The adjacent exhibition mine contains mining equipment and machinery, which you can visit on your own or with a guided tour.

The outdoor facilities of the Oberharzer Bergwerkmuseum

On a guided tour of the Dorotheer Rösche and Caroliner Wetterschacht shafts, you will learn all about the energy supply to the mines, as this is where the water used was piped out of the mountain and fed to the water wheels in the surrounding area, which was the final source of energy for the mines. In the Thurm Rosenhof mine, which was operated between the 16th and 20th centuries, you can visit a wheel room where, among other things, the mine's large sweeping wheel is on display.

The Ottiliae shaft served as a winding shaft for the other mines in Clausthal-Zellerfeld and was considered one of the most modern in Europe. In addition to working winding machines and the engine rooms, the oldest preserved winding tower in Germany is located here. Also on display are a steam engine and a reconstructed daytime winding railway, which you can even ride.

The last outdoor facility of the Oberharz Mining Museum is the Kaiser-Wilhelm-II shaft, which was the central winding and ropeway shaft in the region. It has a depth of 1023 metres and was opened in 1892. After it was closed down, the existing hydroelectric power plant was expanded and continued to be used as a hydroelectric power station for the region. In addition to the steel winding frame, the driving art, the steam winding and water column machine, you can marvel at replicas of an artificial wheel and a sweeper wheel.

Picture sources:
- Suspension bench - JuTe CLZ - Wikimedia Commons - public domain
- Visitor mine - Holbein66 - Wikimedia Commons - CC4.0

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Visitor parking