Show mines in the Ore Mountains38 underground places to visit

Despite its name, this is not a natural cave, but a medieval mining tunnel some 18 metres long in the Poppenwald forest above the Zwickauer Mulde. It is said that Prince Ernst of Saxony was held captive here in 1455 during the ‘Altenburg Prince Abduction’; the tunnel is open to the public but is unlit.

Route

18 m

Open to the public all year round and unlit; access is via a stony, secured path from the ‘Zur Prinzenhöhle’ forest lodge or via a 4.5 km hiking trail from the Hartenstein castle ruins. stadt-hartenstein.de/tourismus-freizeit/a…

In the Karl Liebknecht Shaft – formerly the Empress Augusta Shaft – a 400-metre-long exhibition mine takes visitors on a journey through Saxony’s coal-mining history. It is a reconstruction, not the actual historic mining site itself; however, the machinery is in operation there, and at the end of the tour, Saxony’s largest surviving steam-powered hoisting engine is demonstrated.

Route

400 m

Adults

€17.00 (exhibition including the mine)

Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am–5 pm; closed on Mondays; mine tours at 11 am and 2.30 pm. Closed for holidays during calendar weeks 2 to 4. kohlewelt.de

Saxony’s oldest show mine, which will be 2026 years old. A descent of 80 metres via over 250 steps leads to two marble halls and shimmering green lakes; children as young as four are welcome here.

Steps

250

Depth

80 m

Adults

€8.00

Tuesday to Sunday, guided tours at 1.00 pm, 2.00 pm and 3.00 pm, and by appointment. schaubergwerk-waschleithe.de

Take the mine lift 150 metres down into the Himmelfahrt Fundgrube, the TU Bergakademie’s educational and research mine. There are four tours lasting between one and 2.5 hours; booking is essential – and the mine is closed from Sunday to Tuesday.

Duration

60 min

Depth

150 m

Adults

€18.00

Open only from Wednesday to Saturday; closed on Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays and public holidays. Visits by prior booking only. silberbergwerk-freiberg.de

A reconstructed horse-driven windlass above the Rudolph Shaft, which was in operation from 1838 to 1877. At weekends, real horses pull the hoist drum; visitors who wish to do so can also descend twenty metres into the shaft.

Depth

20 m

Adults

€5.50 (guided tour with horse show), plus €3.00 for the underground tour

Tuesday to Sunday and on public holidays, 10.30 am–4.30 pm; guided tours on weekdays at 1 pm and 2.30 pm, and at 11 am at weekends (with horses). Closed on 24, 25 and 31 December. marienberg.de/de/1/pferdegoepel-auf-dem-r…

A cable ride down the refurbished Shaft 15 IIb takes visitors to the floor of the Marx-Semler Adit. The guided tour covers both the history of the old silver mining in Schlema and the uranium mining carried out by Wismut, which shaped the town in the 20th century.

Duration

120 min

Depth

50 m

Adults

€20.00

Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays at 10 am and 1 pm, by prior booking only and for groups of eight or more. kurort-schlema.de/kultur/freizeit/besuche…

After a journey of around 600 metres on the mine railway, you find yourself standing in front of a nine-metre-high waterwheel that is once again in operation. The adit illustrates three eras of mining – silver, cobalt and uranium – and forms part of the Frohnau mining landscape within the UNESCO World Heritage Site ‘Erzgebirge/Krušnohoří Mining Region’.

Temperature

9 °C

Adults

€15.00

Daily from 9 am to 4.30 pm; the guided tour at 4 pm is available only by prior telephone booking and for groups of ten or more. roehling-stolln.de

A mine for magnetite and tin, first mentioned in 1558, operated by the Breitenbrunn Miners’ Guild. At six degrees, it is one of the coolest visitor mines in the Ore Mountains; the price drops significantly the more people join the tour.

Temperature

6 °C

Duration

60 min

Adults

€10.00 for three or more people (€15.00 for two, €30.00 for one)

Tuesdays from 2 pm, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 11 am; groups of ten or more by prior arrangement. besucherbergwerk-sankt-christoph.de

The only accessible adit in the Olbernhau mining district, excavated from 1515 onwards to extract non-ferrous metals for the Grünthal smelter. A mining association has restored 180 metres of it itself and organises guided tours one Saturday a month.

Route

180 m

April to September: the second Saturday of the month, 1 pm–4 pm; at other times by arrangement; please book in advance. olbernhau.de/de/besucherbergwerk-gnade-go…

A disused limestone mine on the outskirts of Chemnitz, whose mining chambers are so high that they are known as ‘domes’. Unlike most visitor mines in Saxony, the route is level and wheelchair-accessible, and guided tours run every hour without the need for prior booking.

Duration

45 min

Route

700 m

Adults

€8.00

Daily from 10 am to 5 pm, guided tours every hour on the hour; a minimum of two adult participants per tour. felsendome.de

It was not silver but arsenic-bearing gravel that made this mine profitable from 1799 onwards – it was so pure that it was given its own name, ‘Thalheimite’, and was sent to the Gifthütte smelter in Geyer. The Mining Association re-opened the adit and opened it to the public in 1998; entry is by appointment only.

Visits are by appointment only through the Thalheim Mining Association. thalheim-erzgeb.de/freizeit/ausflugs-erle…

The cheapest and quickest way to experience mining in the Ore Mountains: a 45- to 60-minute walk through a silver adit in the Schwarzwassertal valley, five times a day, all year round. If booked in advance, the guided tour is also available with schnapps or in a miner’s headscarf.

Duration

45 min

Adults

€8.00

Open all year round, Tue–Sun 10 am–4 pm; closed on Mondays; guided tours at 10 am, 11.30 am, 1 pm, 2.30 pm and 4 pm for groups of two or more. molchner-stolln.de

The mine train travels about three kilometres into the mountain before the guided tour begins – further in than any other visitor mine in the region. Because the tunnel is so deep, the temperature underground is unusually mild at around 15 °C.

Temperature

15 °C

Duration

150 min

Adults

€20.00

Entry daily at 2 pm with a laser show; advance booking recommended; ages 6 and over; meet at the Huthaus 20 minutes beforehand. zinnkammern.de

Tin mining at the Sauberg, part of the Ehrenfriedersdorf Mining Landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are two guided tours to choose from: the 2.5-hour adventure tour (for ages 10 and over) and a shorter sightseeing tour (for ages 6 and over).

Duration

150 min

Adults

€22.00

Visitor mine: Thu–Sun, and Wed during the Saxon school holidays; guided tours start at 10 am, 1 pm and 3 pm; advance booking required. The museum will reopen on 5 September 2026 following refurbishment. zinngrube-ehrenfriedersdorf.de

A silver mine dating from around 1500, which was only rediscovered in 1992 beneath Annaberg’s old town. The entrance is located in the courtyard of the Erzgebirge Museum; the narrow tunnels extend up to 24 metres beneath Kirchgasse and Kupferstraße. It has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2019.

Depth

24 m

Guided tours: Tue–Fri at 12 noon and 3 pm; Sat/Sun/public holidays at 11 am, 12.30 pm, 2 pm and 3.30 pm; during Advent and the school holidays, advance booking is requested; suitable for children aged 6 and over. annaberg-buchholz.de/erzgebirgsmuseum/bes…

The Tiefe Bünaustolln, situated right on the Czech border, has been the site of tin and tungsten mining for centuries. Part of the mine has been adapted for visitors with disabilities – special guided tours are available by arrangement.

Temperature

9 °C

Duration

90 min

Adults

€7.00

Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am–3 pm; guided tours at 10.30 am, 11.30 am, 12.30 pm, 1.30 pm and 2.45 pm; groups of ten or more may also visit at other times. zinnwald-im-erzgebirge.de/buenaustollen.html

Over 300 years of mining in the Western Ore Mountains, with a mine railway and a preserved wheel house. The operator provides individual prices only on request, but runs tours several times a day from Tuesday to Sunday.

Temperature

8 °C

Tuesday to Sunday: guided tours at 10.30 am, 12 noon and 1.30 pm; 9 am and 3 pm by prior booking only for groups of ten or more. frisch-glueck.de

A Wismut adit dating from 1947, which is still part of the ventilation system for the Schlema-Alberoda mine and has been open to visitors since 2018. Machinery and equipment used in uranium mining are on display along the 1,300-metre stretch.

Duration

90 min

Route

1,300 m

Adults

€7.00

Spring to autumn by prior booking, for groups of four or more; closed in winter due to ice formation. kurort-schlema.de/kultur/freizeit/lehrsto…

The museum includes the ‘Neubeschert Glück’ exhibition tunnel, which is around 200 years old, almost flat-bottomed, and has been accessible by vehicle since 1971. Above ground stands the 16th-century tin-washing plant, which is considered unique in Europe. It forms part of the Altenberg-Zinnwald mining landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Temperature

9 °C

Duration

60 min

Adults

€9.00

Every day except Friday, 10 am–4 pm; underground tours at 11 am, 1 pm and 3 pm. bergbaumuseum-altenberg.de

A small mine in the Wilden Weißeritz valley, the prospecting for which dates back to the early 16th century. Visitors can see a winch-driven shaft system as well as longwall and drift workings in silver-bearing lead and copper ore, barite and fluorite.

Duration

35 min

Adults

€4.50

Every Saturday from April to October, 10.00–14.30; groups of 8 or more and special guided tours by arrangement; ages 6 and over. auroraerbstolln-dorfhain.de

A copper pyrite mine rediscovered in 1998, situated right on the Czech border, featuring a water-powered mechanism, a ventilation shaft and a day shaft. It came to prominence during the search for the Amber Room, which made headlines here in 2008.

Duration

45 min

Adults

€12.50

Tuesday to Sunday, guided tours at 10.30 am, 12.00 pm and 1.30 pm; on Saturdays and Sundays there is an additional tour at 3.00 pm – by prior booking and confirmation only; for children aged 6 and over. das-huthaus.de

The oldest mine in the Annaberg mining district, which was already in operation before 1440 and is situated on the eastern slope of the Pöhlberg. As later periods of mining did not overburden it, more than ten adits on seven levels have been preserved in their original state.

Route

500 m

Guided tours for small groups are available by prior telephone booking only; the association is on site on Saturdays. bergbau-im-erzgebirge.de/briccius.htm

One of the few visitor mines where you descend into the shaft via a cable lift – the tour takes place at a depth of around 50 metres, at the level of the Tiefen Fürstenstolln. The mine is part of the Schneeberg Mine Stabilisation site and is only open on a few days a year.

Temperature

8 °C

Duration

120 min

Depth

50 m

Adults

€8.00

Public guided tours on Miners’ Day (the first Saturday in July), on Bergstreittag (22 July) and at the weekend of the Schneeberg Festival of Lights (the second Sunday in Advent), from 9.00 am to 3.30 pm on each occasion; advance booking by telephone is required; further dates available on request. bergbauverein-weisser-hirsch.de

Probably the oldest surviving remnant of silver mining in Schlettau, possibly dating back to the 15th century. Of the 520-metre-long main gallery, around 350 metres are still accessible by vehicle; within it lies a ten-metre-high artificial wheel chamber and several shafts with neatly hewn standing places for the winch operator.

Route

350 m

Only by prior arrangement with the Schlettau Miners’ Association and on official open days, such as Open Monuments Day. knappenverein.de/portfolio-item/grube-gru…

A small mine situated right on the banks of the Zschopau, accessible on foot via the path past the jetty house. The tunnels were entirely hewn out with pick and hammer and have remained unchanged for over 200 years; in the water-filled chambers, you can see right down to the bottom.

Temperature

8 °C

Duration

45 min

Route

250 m

Guided tours are available by arrangement only with the Old Mining Association; a cape, helmet and boots are provided. altbergbauverein-zschopau.de

A heritage adit on the south-western slope of the Ullersberg, driven from 1738 onwards using pick and hammer, which has merely been cleared of debris and otherwise left in its 18th-century state. Since 2012, it has housed a broadband seismometer belonging to the Thuringian Seismological Network.

Route

226 m

Only as part of pre-booked special guided tours organised by the West Saxony Old Mines and Geology Working Group; appropriate mining equipment is required. wolkenburger-bergbaurevier.de

In the Granulit Massif to the west of Chemnitz, mining activities from the 14th, 16th and 20th centuries overlap here – in 1943, the mine served as an air-raid shelter. It is only open on a handful of public holidays each year.

Adults

€5.00

In 2026, only on a few days: Easter Monday 6 April, Whit Monday 25 May, 3 October and 31 October, 10 am–4 pm on each day; Bergquartal, 20 June, 10 am–2 pm; Geotope Day, 20 September, by booking only; groups by arrangement; Mettenschichten during Advent. Last guided tour one hour before closing time. wolkenburger-bergbaurevier.de

One of the oldest mines in the Schneeberg mining district, which has been excavated on a voluntary basis since 1989. The most impressive part of the guided tour is a twelve-metre-high wheel chamber, which was hewn out of the rock using pick and hammer; the association provides a cape, boots and a lamp.

Temperature

8 °C

Duration

90 min

Adults

€10.00

Guided tours take place on Wednesdays at 4 pm and Saturdays at 10 am, as well as by appointment; special guided tours lasting between two and four hours are available by arrangement. besucherbergwerk-zschorlau.de

Hohenstein-Ernstthal was Saxony’s most productive gold deposit; the gold was extracted from gold-bearing arsenic-bearing gravel. Today, the mine building houses a small exhibition; access to the main shaft is only possible by prior arrangement and via ladders.

The cap-and-shovel house hosts an exhibition on the last Saturday of every month (except December) from 9 am to 12 noon; tours of the visitor mine run from April to October, subject to booking by telephone. lampertus.de

Three old ore adits in the Kirchberg granite, which the town’s brewers connected to form storage cellars in the 18th century and which were converted into an air-raid shelter in 1943. In 2010, a cross-cut was added to the neighbouring Hoffnungsstolln; the guided tour includes a small exhibition in the miners’ changing room.

Route

332 m

Open during the Kirchberg Town Festivals, the Old Town Festival in early October and the Christmas market on the first Sunday of Advent, 1 pm–6 pm; group tours available at any time by prior arrangement by telephone. kirchberger-bergbrueder.de/Bergbau/Stolln…

A water-drainage adit begun in 1787 on the valley slope of the Gimmlitz, which never yielded any ore but has preserved an unusually large number of traces left by the miners: 19 dates carved into the rock, over 66 survey marks and four tunnel signposts.

Guided tours are available by prior arrangement only with the Lichtenberg/Erzgeb. local authority; safety clothing and torches are required. lichtenberg-erzgebirge.de/seite/316401/tr…

It was not tin but red iron ore that was mined here for the Marienhütte in Zwickau – the adit dating from 1834 was the most important iron ore mine in the area. The Rittersgrün Miners’ Association converted it in 1994–95 into a stop on the Pöhla–Rittersgrün mining trail and organises guided tours inside by prior arrangement.

By appointment only; sessions are arranged and mainly take place at weekends. Minimum age 14; children aged 8 to 14 must be accompanied by an adult. knappschaft-1713.de

A mine where silver, cobalt, copper, nickel and, most recently, pitchblende were mined in succession. The standard guided tour includes a 250-metre boat trip through the Himmlisch Heer section; for experienced visitors, there is also a five-kilometre special tour.

Duration

90 min

Adults

€10.00

Monday to Friday 10 am–2 pm, Saturday 10 am and 2 pm, at other times by prior arrangement by telephone; guided tours are usually available for groups of four or more. dorotheastollen.de

An almost entirely preserved cobalt and silver mine, complete with a mine office, foreman’s house, smithy and the crushing mill building dating from 1816–18. The only underground access is to the crushing wheel chamber beneath the crushing mill, and this is only available on a few fixed dates each year.

World Heritage Day (1st Sunday in June) 10 am–5 pm, Bergstreittag on 22 July 10 am–4 pm, Open Monuments Day (2nd Sunday in September) 10 am–5 pm and Museum Night on 2 October 6 pm–midnight; further guided tours by prior arrangement by telephone. kobaltbergbau.de

Above the shaft stands a replica of a flywheel winch dating from 1783, which was used to hoist the ore from a depth of 80 metres. Visitors descend 25 metres; the shaft was later used to maintain the Thelersberg adit.

Duration

60 min

Depth

25 m

By prior telephone appointment only, via the Brand-Erbisdorf Town Council. brand-erbisdorf.de

The tunnel on Schwartenbergweg, which was rediscovered in 1987, opens just once a year: on ‘Open Tunnel Day’, the Seiffen Miners’ Association provides visitors with helmets and rubber boots and guides them into the mountain.

Only on the Tunnel Open Day, 28 August 2026 from 5 pm. seiffen.de

In 1944, British prisoners of war drove a prospecting tunnel here in search of wolframite and, in doing so, came across the Martin-Römer Tunnel, which is over 700 years old – both sections are now part of the visitor route. The tunnel lies at the heart of the Hoher Forst World Heritage archaeological site, with its deserted mining town of Fürstenberg.

Route

410 m

Open during the Mining Experience Days in early June and on Open Monuments Day on the second Sunday in September, 10 am–6 pm; further guided tours are available by appointment (please book by telephone). kirchberger-bergbrueder.de/Bergbau/Englae…

In 1661, a head forester of the Electorate of Saxony had the Stolln tunnel on the Heidelsberg constructed to keep his beer cool – whilst driving the tunnel, the miners came across a tin-rich ore vein, and this led to the establishment of a separate mining district. The Aue Historical Mining Association only organises tours by prior telephone arrangement and on special event days.

Duration

60 min

Only by prior telephone booking with the Mining Association, and on special days such as the Mining Experience Days, Heritage Day and Museum Night. bergbauverein-aue.de