Öblarner Kupferweg

Montanhistorischer Schaupfad Walchen

Useful Information

Location:	At Öblarn, at the church in the Steinboutique (mineral shop).
Open:	Öblarner Steinkeller: All year after appointment. Stollen und Öfen: JUN to SEP with reservation. Öblarner Kupferweg: JUN to SEP with reservation. [2025]
Fee:	Öblarner Steinkeller: Adults EUR 6, School Pupils EUR 3.50, Children (0-5) free, Students EUR 3.50. Stollen und Öfen: Adults EUR 10, School Pupils EUR 5, Children (0-5) free, Students EUR 5. Öblarner Kupferweg: Adults EUR 20, School Pupils EUR 10, Children (0-5) free, Students EUR 10. [2025]
Classification:	Copper Mine Silver Mine
Light:	Incandescent
Dimension:	Öblarner Steinkeller: Ar=130 m². Öblarner Kupferweg: L=7 km.
Guided tours:	Öblarner Steinkeller: D=35 min, Min=6. Stollen und Öfen: D=1,5 h, Min=11 Öblarner Kupferweg: D=3 h, Min=15.
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:
Bibliography:	Karl Edegger (2001): Der "Öblarner Kupferweg", Der steirische Mineralog, Band 11/15, 2001, S. 33-35. pdf
Address:	Bergbauverein Öblarn, Öblarn 34, A-8960 Öblarn, Cell: +43-664-3900003, Cell: +43-664-1127428. 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

1434	Smelting works in Walchen mentioned for the first time.
1565	Verweserhaus built.
1998	Bergbauverein Öblarn founded.
2000	Öblarner Kupferweg opened to the public.

Description

The Öblarner Kupferweg (Öblarner Copper Trail) is primarily a hiking trail with many stations that explain all aspects of local copper mining. These include the mining, processing, smelting and sale of copper. It runs along the Walchenbach stream to Walchen, the copper mining area southwest of Öblarn. The trail comprises 14 stations, all of which are connected to local mining history. There is a mining museum, remains of the mining operation and cultural stations such as the Johannes Nepomuk Chapel.

The Verweserhaus or Herrschaftsamt is the first station on the trail. The Verweser was the manager of the mine; this is an old term, but not a specific mining term. This building was constructed in 1565 and was formerly the administrative headquarters and storage room for products from the Walchen. Today, the building is owned by the princely family Colloredo-Mannsfeld. Its basement houses an exhibition called the Öblarner Steinkeller (Öblarn Stone Cellar), which is now more commonly known as the Bergbau-Museum (Mining Museu)m. The Mining Museum is housed in an impressive historic cellar with 3.50 m high barrel vaults and a floor area of 130 m². Exhibits, pictures, documents, tools from mining and smelting, minerals and ores can be seen here. These include ores and minerals from Hohentauern, Eisenerz, Hieflau, Adnet and Lassing.

The next stops include the copper smelting furnaces, a silver smelting furnace, sulphur furnaces and the Stampfer House. All of these stops are freely accessible, except for the museum, the sulphur furnace and the mine. A brochure explaining the nature trail can be purchased in the shops, at the tourist office, in a restaurant or in the mineral shop. You can then walk the nature trail without a guide and visit all the stations except the three that are closed. The trail is 7 km long, which takes about 1.5 hours to walk, but you also need to plan your return journey.

The Thaddäusstollen is the mine where copper ore was extracted. It was a polymetallic ore containing copper, sulphur, gold and silver in varying quantities. The tunnel can only be visited as part of a guided tour. As written in the Firststein, it was struck in 1729 and was the mine's heritage tunnel. It drained a system of tunnels stretching for many kilometres on several levels, which had been created during 500 years of mining activity. It was finally abandoned in 1958 and reopened in 1998, when it was converted into a show mine. It was opened to the public in 2000.

The Öblarn Mining Association offers three different tours. The museum can be visited all year round; registration by 5 p.m. the day before is sufficient. The hikes are only offered during the summer months and are also somewhat dependent on the weather. The short tour includes only five stations: the Thaddäus tunnel, the sulphur furnace, the copper smelting furnaces, the silver smelting furnace and the Walchenherrgott. These are all quite close to each other. The long tour covers both the mining museum and the entire exhibition trail. However, the tour is shortened by the fact that you travel between the stations in a flatbed wagon attached to a tractor.