Schaubergwerk Am Aschenberg

Useful Information

Location:	Inselbergstraße 26, 36448 Bad Liebenstein (50.81198885905184, 10.361886099907688)
Open:	MAR Sat, Sun 10-18. APR to DEC Tue-Fri 13:30-22, Sat-Sun 10-22. Last guided tour 17:30. [2021]
Fee:	Show mine: Adults EUR 5, Children EUR 3. Museum Minerals and Crystal Growing: Free. [2021]
Classification:	Copper Mine Silver Mine Cobalt Mine Iron Mine Baryte Mine
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:
Guided tours:	D=45 min.
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Schaubergwerk Am Aschenberg, Inselbergstraße 26, 36448 Bad Liebenstein, Tel: 036961-30252. 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

1991	End of mining in the Altensteiner Oberland.
APR-1994	Exhibition mine opened

Geology

Description

The Schaubergwerk Am Aschenberg (Show Mine Am Aschenberg) documents 1,000 years of mining tradition in the Liebenstein area. An amusement park was built in the garden of a residential house on Inselsbergstraße on the initiative of the Schönau family. The project was supported by the city administration and the Liebensteiner Bergbauverein (Liebenstein Mining Association).

The tour begins with an old mining railway. The ride on the locomotive with crew car from 1954 in its original condition is a delight for children and railway enthusiasts alike. There are 280 metres of track in the leisure park for this purpose. More mining locomotives and historic mine cars follow.

Then a museum with minerals and mining equipment follows. It documents the mining history of the area with many photographs and documents. This is followed by an exhibition of minerals, ores, fossils and even the bones of a cave bear. This shows the closeness to karst and speleology, the owner is also a speleologist. This exhibition is complemented by miner's tools and equipment. In addition to the museum, the miner's hut houses a souvenir shop and is the meeting point for the underground tours.

The mine itself is easy to navigate as it is almost entirely horizontal. The tour introduces the various tools, machines and techniques that were used in Liebenstein. These include various types of drilling equipment, mine railways and lifts, as well as communication systems.