Goldbergbaumuseum Goldkronach
Museum on historic gold mining in the former forester's house of Goldkronach – with an alchemy lab, geological trail, and gold-panning facility in the garden.
About the museum
The impetus for a museum in Goldkronach came in 1985 from the building contractor Johann Neubauer, who donated his collection of craft and farm objects; in 1987 the museum association was founded. The local history museum, initially housed in the town hall, moved to Kirchgasse in 1989. Under the engineer Eberhard Arnold, who studied Alexander von Humboldt's time as a Prussian mining official in Goldkronach in depth, the focus shifted to geology and mining.
The present museum building was erected in 1740 by the owner of Goldkronach Castle. Later, head foresters lived here, and Humboldt lived in the house for a short time. From 1804 it served as the official residence of a Prussian deputy mining master, and from 1819 until the dissolution of the forestry office in 1999 as the seat of the Bavarian forest administration. The town then bought the building, had the museum refitted there, and opened it in March 2004 as the Goldbergbaumuseum.
The rooms lead through the town's history – on the second floor as a digital time journey – through geology and mineralogy, gold mining from the Middle Ages to the Fichtelgold AG of the 1920s, the work of the miners, a reconstructed alchemy lab, and the processing of gold into gold leaf. A staged section of tunnel conveys the confinement underground; a rare double ducat from 1695 recalls the yield of the Goldkronach mines. In the garden, a geological trail with over 20 large rock blocks was laid out in 2020, complemented by an info pavilion, a self-service water-lifting installation, and a gold-panning facility.
Highlights
- Gold panning at the facility in the museum garden
- Reconstructed medieval alchemy lab
- Staged tunnel and double ducat from 1695
- Geological trail with over 20 rock blocks
- Traces of Alexander von Humboldt in Goldkronach
- Founded
- 2004
- Operated by
- Goldbergbaumuseum Goldkronach e.V.
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €4 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €2Teenagers (13–17 years), students, retirees, and people with a severe disability with ID |
| Children & teens | €2free up to age 12 · Children up to their 12th birthday free (except children's and school groups); teenagers 13–17 years €2 |
| Seniors | €2Retirees with ID |
| Visitors with disabilities | €2People with a severe disability with ID |
| Students & apprentices | €2 |
| Groups (8+ people) | €3 per personper person |
| Gold panning | €5Panning sand and rental pan at the gold-panning facility in the museum garden |
Cash only. Discounts for holders of VGN and Ochsenkopf cards.
Accessibility
- 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
Accessible entrance via the rear; platform lift since 2023.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 12 |
|---|
- Hands-on stations
In the museum garden, children can pan for gold, dig gemstones out of the sand in the info pavilion, and operate a historic water-lifting installation themselves. Children up to 12 years have free admission.
Getting there & parking
GPS address: Bayreuther Straße 21, 95497 Goldkronach. The show mines at the Goldberg start at the information house in the district of Brandholz (May–September, Sundays and public holidays).
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Museum shop
Museum shop with gold leaf souvenirs, minerals, fossils, and literature, including on Alexander von Humboldt; printed museum guide for €10.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Special tours by telephone arrangement, also outside opening hours. |
