ENERGETICON

About the museum

When it became clear at the end of 1987 that hard coal mining in the Aachen coalfield would end in 1992, Alsdorf also lost its economic foundation. The mining museum association, founded back in 1986, collected machines, tools and everyday objects of the miners and planned a regional mining museum. Because the state did not want to fund yet another purely mining museum, the idea evolved into a museum about energy as a whole.

After the Anna mine complex closed in 1992 and its facilities were dismantled, the state bought the derelict site in the center of Alsdorf in 1995. Three buildings of the Anna II shaft complex were preserved: the listed winding engine house of 1906, which has served as an event venue since 2008; the smithy, built around 1910; and the pithead bath building, whose newer section was rebuilt in 1931 after a firedamp explosion.

The ENERGETICON opened in September 2014, operated by a nonprofit company. Under the motto "Von der Sonne zur Sonne" (From the Sun to the Sun), a trail about 700 meters long with some 30 stations leads through the buildings, two underground galleries and an outdoor area of around 30,000 square meters – from the formation of coal and work and daily life in mining to the use of renewable energy. Hands-on participation is an explicit part of the concept; the mining museum association's collection forms the core of the section on the fossil-industrial age.

Highlights

• Experience trail about 700 m long with some 30 hands-on stations
• Two underground galleries and a former training mine
• Winding engine house of 1906 with its preserved drum winding engine
• Outdoor area with large mining equipment, the steam locomotive "Anna 8" and a cinema car
• "Steiger" tours (mine foreman tours) with former miners
• Escape room "Kumpel vermisst!" (Miner Missing!)

Permanent exhibitions

• Von der Sonne zur Sonne – The experience trail follows energy from the geological formation of coal through mining in the Aachen coalfield to solar, wind and other renewable technologies, with many stations to try out.

Founded

2014

Operated by

ENERGETICON gGmbH

Director

Thomas König

Admission & discounts

Discounts only with valid ID. Private members of the friends' association free. Tickets and gift vouchers also in the online shop.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• 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

The trail is almost fully accessible; the levels in the smithy and the pithead bath building can be reached by elevator. Help from a companion may be needed at the end of underground gallery 1, on the incline of the inclined shaft to the outdoor area, and at doors. Keys for the accessible lift in the pithead bath building and the stairlift in the winding engine house are available at the ticket desk against signature.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Kids’ birthday parties

Young Energy tours for children ages 6 and up with teenage guides; the exhibition relies heavily on touching and trying things out. Children's birthday parties with age-appropriate programs. About half of the course is outdoors.

Getting there & parking

Access via Konrad-Adenauer-Allee, entrance at the flagpoles just before the roundabout.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant
• Museum shop
• Coat check

Bistro/restaurant EDUARD on the grounds (Tue–Sun, terrace overlooking the sculpture park; reservations 02404 9560199; opening hours may vary). Museum shop in the foyer of the Schmiede (forge building). Free loan umbrellas for the outdoor course.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

Winding engine house with a large hall, two foyers and a flexible stage for weddings, dinners, parties and corporate events; catering by the restaurant EDUARD.

Plan your visit