Heilklimastollen Friedrich

Useful Information

Location:	Friedrichstollenweg 10, 9530 Bad Bleiberg. Near Villach, at Austrian the border to Italy. A10 exit 172 Villach West, follow Tiroler Straße towards town center, after 1 km turn right, after 800 m turn right onto Bleiberger Straße, 7 km to Bad Bleiberg, 2 km more to Kreuth. A2 exit 364 Hermagor, B111 towards Hermagor, turn right after 4 km through Nötsch, Gailtal 4 km to Kreuth. (46.625195, 13.689378)
Open:	All year Mon-Fri 10. [2025]
Fee:	Erwachsene EUR 39. [2025]
Classification:	Lead Mine Zinc Mine Speleotherapy
Light:	Electric Light
Dimension:	T=8 °C, H=100%.
Guided tours:	self guided, D=50 min.
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	yes
Bibliography:
Address:	Heilklimastollen Friedrich, Friedrichstollenweg 10, 9530 Bad Bleiberg, Tel: +43-4244-3551. E-mail: BLEIB BERG F.X. Mayr Retreat, Thermenweg 28, 9530 Bad Bleiberg, Tel: +43-4244-2205. 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

1333	First documented mention of Bleiberg as a lead ore mining area.
1487 to 1495	Oldest mining regulations for Bleiberg issued.
1990	Heilklimastollen opened.

Geology

The Erzberg in Bad Bleiberg on the sunny side of the Bleiberger Hochtal valley stretches 10 km from Bleiberg-Kreuth and Kobesnock in the west to Kadutschen and Spitzeck in the east. It is part of the Gailtal Alps, which consist of a section of the Eastern Alpine limestone cover systems, a remnant that was not pushed northwards to form the Northern Limestone Alps. The deposit consists mainly of zinc blende and galena, a sedimentary Pb-Zn mineralisation in Triassic Wetterstein limestone.

Description

The Heilklimastollen Friedrich is one of numerous abandoned mines in the area of Bad Bleiberg. Once lead and zinc were mined here. But today this tunnel is used for a medical therapy called speleotherapy. It is based on the purity and humidity of the air in the mine, and of course of the high amount of carbon dioxide.

The Heilklimastollen ist entered through an entrance building called Anfahrtsgebäude in the Austrian miner terminology. A 90 m long tunnel, 2.5 m wide and 2.8 m high, leads to a complex of three chambers, 150 m², 50 m² and 150 m² in size. Here the therapy takes place, which in fact is just to stay in the mine for some time.

This is not a show mine, it is exclusively a mine for speleotherapy, and it is not possible to visit this mine except for therapy. The standard treatment is called Relaxation in the Mountain and lasts 50 minutes. There is also yoga in the mountain and the tunnel ritual, both of which take place in the mine tunnel. Cures are best prescribed by a doctor, but it is not certain that health insurance will cover the costs. This therapy is not accepted by most health insurance companies because its effects have not been scientifically proven.