Eisenerzbergwerk Frischglück

Useful Information

Location:	Enztalstraße, 75305 Neuenbürg. On the Enztal road from Neuenbürg to Waldrennach/Schömberg. From the large car park 150 m to the lower gallery mouth. (48.834061, 8.593426)
Open:	APR to OCT Sat, Sun, Hol 10-17, last tour 16. [2023]
Fee:	Adults EUR 8, Children (0-6) frei, Disabled EUR 7. Groups (-10): Adults EUR 7. [2023]
Classification:	Iron Mine
Light:	Incandescent
Dimension:	T=6-8 °C, H=95-98 %.
Guided tours:	D=1 h, St=163, Min=10, Max=20.
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Besucherbergwerk Frischglück Neuenbürg, Enztalstraße, 75305 Neuenbürg, Tel: +49-7082-50444. E-mail: "Frischglück" - Arbeitsgemeinschaft Neuenbürger Bergbau e.V., Schwabenstr. 4, 75210 Keltern. Stadt Neuenbürg, Rathausstraße 2, 75302 Neuenbürg, Tel: +49-7082-792863, Fax: +49-7082-792870.
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

600 BC	First mining by Celts.
70 BC to 250 AD	mining by the Romans.
1100-1442	Mining under the "nobles" of Straubenhardt.
1527	Five "Yisengruben" in the vicinity of Neuenbürg mentioned in a Württemberg stock book.
1720	Saxon miners, the Viehweg brothers, open the Christian mine and Jakob mine in the Schnaizteich.
1758	The Viehweg brothers sell the mine to the Benckiser ironworks in Pforzheim for reasons of age.
1790	The Württemberg rulers withdraw the mines from the Baden blast furnace works in Pforzheim and take them over themselves.
1804	At the instigation of Kurfürst Friedrich, an attempt is made to produce steel.
1869	Mining ceased.
1979-1985	Excavated and made accessible to visitors.
30-MAR-1985	Exhibition mine opened.
1995	Celtic race furnaces and iron ore slags discovered at the Frischglück mine.

Geology

The Neuenbürger Gangrevier consists of a large number of veins filled with brown ironstone and barite. The brown ironstone mined here often appears as Glaskopf, a goethite variety.

The mineralisation was formed as a result of tectonic movements caused by the Upper Rhine Graben subsidence during the Tertiary about 15 Ma ago. Harness surfaces were formed and the fissures opened, causing hydrothermal solutions of different compositions to rise. Cooling near the surface supersaturated the solution and minerals were deposited. Mainly baryte, siderite, rhodochrosite, fluorite, quartz, chalcopyrite and haematite (iron luster) were deposited. The so-called Kokardenerze (cocard ores) are siderite and baryte, which were deposited preferentially around sandstone chunks stuck in the gangues.

Later tectonic movements displaced some gangues by several metres. Water from the surface began to oxidise, and this weathering transformed siderite, for example, into goethite varieties.

Description

The Besucherbergwerk Frischglück (Frischglück show mine) in Neuenbürg is located in the northern Black Forest, 8 km west of Pforzheim. Iron ore was mined in this area by the Celts as early as 2,600 years ago. On the Schloßberg in Neuenbürg, iron implements and slags have been excavated that come from an Early La Thène period Celtic settlement. Near the show mine, Celtic race furnaces and iron ore slags were discovered in 1995. You can see pits, ditches or rock dumps with barite and pieces of iron ore in the forest. These are remnants of former open-pit mining. The Romans also mined iron, between 70 BC and 250 AD. Roman ironworks have also been found, so the ore was smelted here too.

The next known period of iron mining is the Middle Ages, between 1100 and 1442 under the "nobles" of Straubenhardt. In 1527, five "Yisengruben" (iron mines) were mentioned in a Württemberg stock book. The field names such as "Eisenwald", "Eisenertann" or "Erzwasch" probably date from this time. In 1720, the Saxon miners Christian and Jakob Viehweg came to Neuenbürg and opened up the Christians' and Jakob’s mine in the Schnaizteich. The year 1790 was decisive: the Württemberg authorities withdrew the mines from the Baden(!) blast furnace works. At first, they were leased to a company, but then they took over the mines themselves. And the first attempt to produce steel was made at the instigation of Kurfürst Friedrich in 1804. The Neuenbürg ore was well suited because it had a high manganese content and a low sulphur content. The result was excellent, the Neuenbürg steel reached the quality of the best steel in the world at that time from England. This led to a new flowering of iron ore mining, and the processing industry also flourished. The scythe factory "Haueisen & Sohn" was founded in Neuenbürg and soon became the market leader in Germany. The industrial revolution made cheaper ores from Sweden available, but mining ended in 1869 primarily because the deposit was exhausted. The blast furnace works in Pforzheim and Friedrichstal were closed.

Between 1720 and 1868, 100,000 tonnes of pure iron ore were mined in the Neuenbürg district. There were about 60 larger and smaller mines. Nevertheless, fewer than 40 miners were employed in the mines.

The show mine goes back to a group of teachers, pupils and employees at the Neuenbürg grammar school. They first met in the mid-1970s as mineral enthusiasts, but were also interested in the peculiarities of local mining. ARGE Bergbau investigated the abandoned pits and found the Christianstollen. But it was so badly destroyed that they concentrated their research on the Frischglück mine. On 12-MAY-1979, the mouth of the lower level was opened and the mine was accessible on three levels. After years of research and development, the show mine was opened on 30-MAR-1985.

The normal guided tour is also called the Klassische Führung (Classic Guided Tour) and takes place at weekends. The so-called Erweiterte Führung (Extended Guided Tour) or Abenteuerführung (Adventure Tour) is offered to groups by appointment, booking is best done via the mail form on the website. There is a guided tour lasting 2 hours and one lasting 3 hours. At the entrance to the mine is the Stollenschänke restaurant, which serves local dishes such as Maultaschen or Schupfnudeln, coffee and cake, and home-baked bread. It is open during the opening hours of the mine.