Besucherbergwerk Philippstollen Olsberg

Museum Haus Hövener

Useful Information

Location:	Stolleneingang Philippstollen, Eisenberg 1, 59939 Olsberg. A44 motorway exit Marsberg, B7 to Brilon, B480 to Philippstollen . A46 to the end of the motorway, B480 to Olsberg and on to Brilon. Philippstollen: from Olsberg L743, to Gierskopp, turn left, signposted Waldhotel Schinkenwirt. Museum Haus Hövener: in the town centre on Brilon's market square. (51.3642347, 8.5179213)
Open:	Philippstollen: APR to OCT Fri 16. Museum Haus Hövener: All year Tue-SUn 11-17. [2025]
Fee:	Philippstollen: Adults EUR 6, Children (0-14) EUR 2. Museum Haus Hövener: Adults EUR 4, Children (7-14) EUR 2, Children (0-6) frei, Students EUR 3, Disabled EUR 3, Families EUR 10. [2025]
Classification:	Iron Mine Mining Museum Nationaler Geopark GrenzWelten
Light:	Incandescent
Dimension:	T=6-8 °C.
Guided tours:	L=600 m.
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Heimatbund der Stadt Olsberg e.V., Hauptstr. 100, 59939 Olsberg, Tel.: +49-2962-5640. E-mail: Museum Haus Hövener, Am Markt 14, 59929 Brilon, Tel: +49-2961-963-99-01. E-mail: Tourist-Info Olsberg, Ruhrstr. 32 59939 Olsberg, Tel: +49-2962-9737-0. 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

1350	first written mention.
1716-1723	Kirschbaumstollen started.
1732-1739	Allerheiligen-Stollen started.
21-AUG-1749	Philipp-Stollen started.
06-NOV-1754	Philipp-Stollen finished with a length of 128 Lachter.
1780-1794	Max-Stollen started.
15-JUL-1916	mine closed.
28. Mai 1979	Heimatbund is founded by 79 citizens in Olsberg who are close to their home town.
1992	restoration work by the mining working group of the Heimatbund.
2002	show mine opened to the public.
2011	Museum Haus Hövener opened to the public.

Geology

Description

photography — Grund- und Seigerriss des Allerheiligenstollns, Grube Briloner Eisenberg, Deutschland. Public Domain.

The Philippstollen near Olsberg is part of the Sauerland iron ore mining district. It is part of the Briloner Eisenberg mine, which was established in the 18th century and closed in 1916. Mining for iron ore has probably been carried out on the Brilon Iron Mountain since pre-Christian times. Initially on the surface in so-called Pingen (open cast), then from the 16th century the first underground tunnels. However, the Eisenberg mine or Briloner Eisenberg mine was formed in the 18th century. At that time, four tunnels were driven into the rock at the same time: the Philipp, Max, Kirschbaum and Allerheiligen tunnels. Loading ramps were also built in front of the tunnels. Not all the tunnels were successful, but mining was still very successful in the 19th century. According to old documents, for example, 3108 tonnes of ironstone were extracted from the Eisenberg in 1855. Mining ended during the First World War, in 1916, and although economic reasons are given, it must be assumed that this was a consequence of the war. So it was not necessarily a lack of yield, it was probably too labour-intensive and the miners were needed as soldiers. Be that as it may, mining was never resumed as competition from the world market was much cheaper.

The show mine is located in the Philippstollen, which was started on 21-AUG-1749 and broken off on 06-NOV-1754, after more than 5 years, with a length of 128 Lachter. A Lachter was a common measure of length in mining, which corresponded roughly to the distance between a man’s outstretched arms. This extremely precise definition meant, as was customary at the time, that the measure varied in size in different regions and even changed from time to time. If we assume a length of around 2 metres, the tunnel was therefore around 250 metres long, meaning that it was driven around 50 metres per year. Unfortunately, all the ore lenses in this area were undercut and the search tunnel was abandoned as hopeless. It was not until 70 years later, in the 1820s, that further tunnelling was started in a north-easterly direction. After about ten years, the ore was reached and mining began. Apparently, the exact dates have either been lost or were not recorded so meticulously.

The mine was always the sum of its tunnels, if nothing was found in one, it was mined in another. The ore lenses were scattered throughout the rock and there was no way of determining their location, so it was always luck to find the ore. This type of mining was profitable in the Middle Ages because the ores were very valuable. This was true until well into the 19th century, but advancing industrialisation not only increased demand, but also improved transport and thus increased competition. Nevertheless, the mine was still in operation until the First World War, which indicates that the yield was quite good overall. However, it was not a company as one would imagine today. It was merely a community of miners who had joined together. In the late 18th century there were probably around 40 miners, in 1818 there were 128 Kuxe, another miners term which means miners who worked more or less independently, but who only worked underground for part of the year. They were also part-time farmers or agricultural day labourers, and earned extra money by transporting the ore to the smelters. The number fluctuated greatly; in the middle of the 19th century there were only 25 miners, but the number briefly rose to 50 in 1879.

The Heimatbund, an association dedicated to preserving history, was founded in Olsberg back in 1979. It has a mining working group that has been restoring the Philippstollen on a voluntary basis since 1992 and opened it to the public as a show mine in 2002. Since then, the members of the association have been offering guided tours from April to October. The normal tour is called Abenteuer Phillipstollen (Phillipstollen Adventure). In addition, events such as SeelenKraft, a kind of underground self-discovery and meditation event, treasure hunts for children and concerts are also organised.

Haus Hövener in Brilon is home to a mining museum. It was founded in 1983 by Wilhelmine Hövener. She belonged to the Kannegießer-Unkraut-Hövener family, one of the largest mining families in the region. She not only donated the house, but also a large private collection to the LWL open-air museum in Detmold and set up the "Briloner Eisenberg und Gewerke-Stadtmuseum Brilon" foundation. After renovation, the mining museum was set up here and opened in 2011. The collections include a geological and palaeontological exhibition, the Kannegießer-Unkraut-Hövener family history, mining and industrial history, Brilon bell casting and the history of the town. There is also an exhibition on the history of forestry, including timber extraction, charcoal production and hunting, as well as an exhibition by Brilon painter Pitt Moog. The exhibition on mining shows historical pictures, plans and photographs. There is an exhibition of typical ores and the iron ingots that were extracted from them. Many items are related to the traditions of mining, such as the uniforms and flags.

The 11 km long Gewerkenweg Brilon Olsberg (Brilon Olsberg Mining Trail) runs from Brilon to Olsberg. There are 14 stations along the red-marked trail, which shed light on part of the mining history of the Eisenberg with explanations. You can see tunnel entrances, springs, open casts and other signs of the old mining operations as you walk along the path along which the carts transported the mined ore. You will also see historic buildings such as the Olsberger Hütte (Olsberg smelter) and the Gewerkenhaus Kropff-Federath (Kropff-Federath miner’s house), the home of a wealthy family of miners. A side branch leads 10 kilometres with 7 stops to the Alte Hütte (old smelter) in the Hoppecke valley and is marked in blue. The trail is part of the GrenzWelten National Geopark, which has also organised the BergbauWelten exhibition. This is a travelling exhibition, if you are interested you should ask the Geopark where it is currently on display.