Besucherbergwerk Schmittenstollen

About the museum

The Lemberg, at around 420 meters the highest elevation in the Nahe valley, contains cinnabar – the ore from which mercury is extracted. A cult site dedicated to the god Mercury suggests that mining took place here as early as Roman times; mining has been documented since 1438, when citizens of Frankfurt were granted the right to operate here. Over three major periods of activity – from the 15th to the 17th century, in the 18th and early 19th century, and in the 1930s – a branching network of tunnels some 15 kilometers long was created. Mining ended in 1939, and the mine was finally abandoned in 1942.

From 1976, volunteers cleared parts of the old workings, and in 1981 visitors were able to enter for the first time. The show mine is still sustained by a great deal of volunteer commitment, supported by the Verbandsgemeinde Rüdesheim (municipal association) and the municipality of Niederhausen. During their explorations, association members still come across sections that no one has entered for centuries.

Along the roughly 700-meter tour route, the different eras of mining can be distinguished: narrow late medieval passages driven with hammer and chisel alongside tunnels cut with machines and explosives in the 20th century. The temperature inside the mountain is about 8 °C all year round. At the tunnel entrance are a mining-themed playground and the Bergwerksschänke tavern with a wine and beer garden and a forest stage for concerts.

Highlights

• The only mercury show mine in Western Europe
• About 700 m of tour route in a tunnel system around 15 km long
• Late medieval hammer-and-chisel passages alongside 20th-century tunnels
• Mining-themed playground and Bergwerksschänke tavern at the tunnel entrance
• Hiking trails from the Niederhausen reservoir and the "Lemberger Geisterweg" (ghost trail)

Founded

1981

Admission & discounts

Prices according to the Rhineland-Palatinate tourism portal and the Museumsportal Rheinland-Pfalz (2026 season). According to the museum portal, tickets can be booked online in advance; no direct booking link has been published.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

No official information on accessibility. The mine is in the forest on the slope of the Lemberg; from the forest parking lot it is about a five-minute walk downhill, although according to the Bergwerksschänke you can also drive all the way down.

Kids & families

Great for kids & familiesRecommended for ages 4+

• Playground / play area

Tours are not suitable for children under 4. At the tunnel entrance there is a mine playground with mining-themed play equipment.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant

Mine tavern at the tunnel entrance with a wine and beer garden, homemade dishes, cake, regional beers and Nahe wines (Wed–Sun from 11:00, tel. 0162 5409739); barbecue hut and forest stage with concerts.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

The beer garden and barbecue hut of the Bergwerksschänke are suitable for family, company and club parties; arrange with the leaseholder.

Plan your visit