Bergbaumuseum Klagenfurt

Luftschutzstollen am Kreuzbergl - Felsenhalle

Useful Information

Location:	Prof.-Dr.-Kahler-Platz 1, 9020 Klagenfurt am Wörthersee. In the city Klagenfurt, at the Botanic Garden. (46.6295381, 14.2926577)
Open:	closed. [2025]
Fee:	closed. [2025]
Classification:	World War II Bunker
Light:	Incandescent
Dimension:	AR=3,000 m².
Guided tours:
Photography:
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:	Bergbaumuseum Klagenfurt (2013): Das Museum im Berg Prospekt zum Klagenfurter Bergbaumuseum, Juli 2013, 16 Seiten.
Address:	Bergbaumuseum Klagenfurt, Prof. Dr. Kahler-Platz 1, 9020 Klagenfurt, Tel: +43-463-511252. 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	construction of shelter start.
1944	construction completed.
1944/45	47 allied air raids on the city.
1945-1963	used by the Klagenfurt radio station of the Alpenland broadcasting group.
11-NOV-1973	privately run mining museum opened.
23-MAY-1977	Museum sold to the City of Klagenfurt in return for a life annuity.
2015	closed for economic reasons.

Description

The Bergbaumuseum Klagenfurt (Mining Museum Klagenfurt) is a museum about mining in Kärnten (Carinthia), located in the Capital Klagenfurt. Although the topic of the museum is mining, we listed it as a subterranea, because the museum itself is located inside a subterranea, a World War II bunker, which is also called Luftschutzstollen am Kreuzbergl. This tunnel is also known as the Luftschutzstollen am Kreuzbergl (Kreuzbergl air-raid shelter). A quarry on the Kreuzbergl, where green slate had previously been mined, was converted into an air-raid shelter from the middle of 1942. The air raid tunnel at Kreuzbergl was a 500 m long tunnel and a large hall called Felsenhalle. The city was bombed 47 times, 70% of the buildings were destroyed, but "only" 512 people died in the air raids. This is a direct consequence of the existence of this bunker, which provided shelter for more than 7,000 people, although it was only designed for 1,800. There are even stories that 20,000 people once sought refuge in the bunker.

Immediately after the war, there was a great shortage of buildings and there were several interested parties, including a Burgenland winery. The Felsenhalle was rented by the Klagenfurt radio station of the Alpenland broadcasting group from August 1945. They moved to a new building in 1953. The rest of the bunker was leased to a mushroom grower, although it is not known when he moved out. From 1958, the botanical garden was laid out on the site in front of the bunker by the state of Carinthia. The garden architect Franz Müller was interested in mineralogy and had an extensive collection of minerals and rocks. When he learnt about the air-raid shelter, he had the idea of opening a museum in it. He convinced regional politicians of the idea and built the museum with the support of local mining companies and the Natural Science Association for Carinthia. The museum was funded by the state of Carinthia and the city of Klagenfurt.

3,000 m² of the former bunker were used as an underground exhibition space by the Bergbaumuseum Klagenfurt (Mining Museum Klagenfurt). It included the history of mining in Kärnten (Carinthia), mineralogy, palaeontology and a chapel for the patron saint of miners, Saint Barbara. At the back, a section explained the history of the bunker itself. The highlight of the mineralogical exhibition was a 1 m high and 200 kg cairngorm from the Ankogel. The Felsenhalle was used for special exhibitions. In contrast to the bunker itself, the walls of this chamber are not clad in concrete but show the natural rock face. This made it an impressive venue for various cultural events throughout the year, such as the museum’s long night, dances by a local witch or a storyteller’s performance.

Unfortunately, the museum was not profitable and negotiations to sell it to the city of Klagenfurt began in 1975. Müller sold part of his collection elsewhere. In 1977, the City of Klagenfurt took over the remaining museum in return for a life annuity. It operated the mining museum as a public museum. The operating costs were considerable and amounted to 500,000 euros per year, while income totalled only 18,000 euros. The Museum was therefore closed in 2015, and in 2020 the exhibits went on permanent loan to the Landesmuseum Kärnten. Some exhibits have been on display in the new mining museum in Bad Bleiberg since 2023, while the rest are stored in a mining history archive at the Bad Bleiburg museum. In a way, the museum was built as a successor to the museum in Klagenfurt; the collection was not supposed to rot away in a cellar. It utilises a historic building, the winding shaft of the Rudolfsstollen. In addition to the exhibition, the preserved winch house can also be visited. The museum only cost 250,000 euros to build, about half the annual budget of Klagenfurt. Automation with motion detectors is intended to save on personnel. In addition, significantly more visitors are expected in the popular and well-visited spa town.