Erlebnis Bergwerk Merkers

About the museum

For almost a century, potash salt was mined at the Merkers mine in the Werra potash district; at times the mine was among the largest potash mines in the world. It became known worldwide in April 1945, when US troops found the Reichsbank's stored gold and foreign-currency reserves here, as well as art treasures from Berlin museums, including the bust of Nefertiti, and General Eisenhower visited the mine.

In 1980, miners came across a cave with huge salt crystals at a depth of 800 metres, now the Crystal Grotto. In 1989 the Large Bunker was completed, an underground store for 50,000 tonnes of raw salt. On 6 August 1991 the Erlebnisbergwerk opened to visitors, and two years later raw-salt extraction at the Merkers shaft ended.

Since then the mine has developed into a major excursion destination: in 1998 the first concert took place in the Large Bunker, in 2003 a new visitor centre opened, in 2006 the Crystal Grotto was designated a National Geotope, and since 2009 weddings have been held there regularly. In 2020 the museum welcomed its two-millionth guest. The operator is the mining company K+S. The roughly three-hour experience tour takes visitors by cage lift and open visitor vehicles to an underground mining museum with about 1,500 square metres of exhibition space, to the historic Gold Room, to the Large Bunker with bucket-wheel excavator and laser show, and to the Crystal Grotto. Concerts and large events underground are due to be phased out from summer 2027; the tours will continue.

Highlights

• Cage ride down to a depth of 500 metres
• Crystal Grotto at a depth of 800 metres, designated a National Geotope
• Large Bunker with the largest bucket-wheel excavator ever used underground and a laser show
• Historic Gold Room on the Reichsbank treasure of 1945
• Underground mining museum with large machines you can climb into
• Simulated blast

Permanent exhibitions

• Bergbaumuseum unter Tage – About 1,500 m² on the history of the potash industry on the Werra from the Salzungen saltworks to the 1960s, with tools and large machines to touch.
• Goldraum – The room where the Reichsbank's gold and foreign-currency reserves were stored in 1945, with props, photos and historic newsreels about the discovery by US troops.
• Kristallgrotte – The deepest point of the tour: a cave discovered in 1980 with salt crystals up to a metre long, staged with music and light.

Founded

1991

Operated by

K+S Minerals and Agriculture GmbH

Admission & discounts

Tickets must be reserved in advance (online ticket shop or by phone); returns and exchanges are excluded. Payment on site in cash, by EC card or credit card.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: not available
• 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

For technical reasons the mine is not barrier-free; wheelchair users cannot enter, and the mine tour is also unsuitable for people with walking or visual impairments. Toilets are available at several stops underground.

Kids & families

Only partly suitable for kidsRecommended for ages 10+

• Hands-on stations
• Kids’ birthday parties

Mine tour only from age 10. In the mining museum, children may climb into the cabs of the large machines. At children's birthday parties the birthday child gets free admission, may trigger the blast simulation and receives a certificate.

Getting there & parking

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop
• Coat check

Drinks, snacks and souvenirs at the visitor centre and at the Crystal Bar in the Crystal Grotto. Backpacks and bags can be left in the visitors' changing room before tours (no liability).

Events & venue rental

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

Concert hall in the former Large Bunker and Historic Gallery at a depth of 500 m for company events, conferences, seminars and celebrations; weddings in the Crystal Grotto as a branch of the Bad Salzungen registry office. Concerts and large events underground end in summer 2027.

Plan your visit