Bergisches Museum für Bergbau, Handwerk und Gewerbe

Useful Information

Location:	Burggraben 19, 51429 Bergisch Gladbach. (50.965036, 7.164416)
Open:	All year Tue-Fri 9-14, Sat, Sun 11-17. Currently closed due to broken electrical system. [2026]
Fee:	Adults EUR 3, Children (6-16) EUR 1,50. [2026]
Classification:	Lead Mine Copper Mine Iron Mine Zinc Mine Lignite Mine Limestone Mine
Light:	Electric Light
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided, D=1-2 h.
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	partially accessible, disabled toilet, lift in the main building
Bibliography:	Heinz David, Das war das Bensberger Erzrevier Rheinisch-Bergischer Kalender 1980, Bergisch Gladbach o. J., S. 42 ff.
Address:	Bergisches Museum für Bergbau, Handwerk und Gewerbe, Burggraben 19, 51429 Bergisch Gladbach, Tel: +49-2202-141555. E-mail: Bergisches Land Touristik GmbH, Tel: +49-2204-19433, Tel: +49-2204-58116.
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

~30	Roman mining activity confirmed by archaeological evidence.
1122	Emperor Henry V. grants Siegburg Abbey the right to mine metal ores on its estate.
1250	Archbishop Konrad von Hochstaden is said to have engaged in mining to raise funds for the construction of Cologne Cathedral.
23-AUG-1512	First documented mention of mining in the Bensberg ore district.
1928	Museum founded as a local history museum.
1970s	End of mining.

Geology

The Bensberger Erzrevier (Bensberg ore district) is an area where various metals, as well as lignite, were mined. The gangue deposits in the crystalline rocks of the Bergisches Land were polymetallic, meaning they contained a diverse mixture of ores. Not all of these were suitable for processing. In the Middle Ages, galena and its high silver content were particularly important, the silver was minted directly into coins. In total, lead, copper, iron and zinc were mined in almost 70 mines along various veins.

The rock is around 350 million years old, consisting of sediments deposited in a marine environment during the Middle Devonian. Later, during the Variscan orogeny, folding and metamorphism occurred. The movemwnts also created fissures through which hot water flowed. The water was heated at depth, causing it to rise, cool down and, due to its increased weight, flow back down through other fissures. These convection cells transported a variety of metals and minerals. The heat caused the water to dissolve at depth and then precipitate at the surface as it cooled. Over time metals and minerals were deposited in the veins until these were eventually completely filled with ores and minerals. This type of deposit is known as a hydrothermal gangue deposit.

In addition, there was Raseneisenstein (bog iron ore) in the Paffrath limestone basin, but its extraction was not very profitable. Nevertheless, there were also a large number of mines here. In addition, limestone was also mined and burnt here.

Lignite is geologically much younger; it formed when the area was a tropical or subtropical wetland. The vegetation built up peat, which was then covered with sediments and underwent a period of carbonisation. The result is a coal of rather low quality, which could nevertheless be used for heating. It was mined cost-effectively in opencast mines.

Description

The Bergisches Museum für Bergbau, Handwerk und Gewerbe (Bergisch Museum of Mining, Crafts and Trade) was founded as early as 1928 as the (Bensberg Local History Museum). It depicts life in the region around 150 years ago. This includes mining, which was practised from Roman times right up until the 1970s. Normally we do not list mining museums because they lack the underground. This museum has an accessible underground visitor tunnel, although it is a mine replica. This was built as early as the 1930s and demonstrates many aspects of the miners’ hard daily working life. The exhibits on display in the tunnel come mainly from the Berzelius, Lüderich and Weiß mines.

The local history museum was established in 1928 in Bensberg Castle, a former 18th-century hunting lodge. It was the first museum in the (then) district of Mülheim and was located in the former washhouse of Bensberg Castle, which had been used as a cadet academy until 1918. However, it soon moved to the so-called Türmchenhaus, located east of Bensberg Town Hall. It was here that, from 1929, Richard Zörner established the show mine, which still exists today. The exhibition from the castle was gradually relocated here. This comprises a complex of buildings situated on Burggraben street, and alongside the main building, the outdoor area with its open-air museum is, of course, also part of the museum. Around 20 buildings showcase regional historical trades such as papermaking, copper sheet forging, tanning and saddlery. A highlight is the historic hammer mill, as well as the exhibition.

Following the fire in the lecture hall in 1952, which destroyed paintings of local historical importance and the few remaining Baroque items from Bensberg Castle, it became clear that conceptual and structural changes were necessary. However, these were not implemented until the late 1970s. The museum opened in its current form on 11 September 1981. Several of the buildings are listed as architectural monuments in Bergisch Gladbach.

Unfortunately, the museum is currently closed for repairs [2026] due to problems with the electrical system.