Grube Frischglück

About the museum

Iron ore was already being extracted around Neuenbürg by the Celts, as finds on the Schlossberg and Celtic bloomery furnaces not far from the mine prove. Mining flourished in the 18th and early 19th centuries: in 1790 Württemberg took over the mines, and the manganese-rich ore was particularly suited to steelmaking. Between 1720 and 1868, around 60 mines in the Neuenbürg district produced about 100,000 tonnes of ore; in 1868/69 mining came to an end because the deposits were exhausted and imported ore was cheap.

In the mid-1970s, teachers, pupils and other interested people came together at the Neuenbürg grammar school to research the old mining. After initial excavations in the Schnaizteich, the working group moved its efforts to the Frischglück mine in 1979 and opened the portal of the lower level in May 1979. Behind it lay a mine complex that could be walked on three levels, with shafts and a large excavated cavern.

On 30 March 1985 the mine opened as a show mine. The tour leads up a spiral staircase to a free-standing platform in the cavern, which is about 60 metres long and 30 metres high, past a 30-metre-deep shaft and ore-rich veins. The mine is run by volunteers from the association Arbeitsgemeinschaft Neuenbürger Bergbau, which also maintains a small museum and the Stollenschänke (tunnel tavern).

Highlights

• Cavern about 60 m long and 30 m high
• Free-standing viewing platform inside the mountain
• View into a 30 m deep shaft
• Adventure tours away from the standard visitor route
• Stollenschänke with beer garden

Permanent exhibitions

• Besucherstollen Frischglück – Guided tour across three levels through an iron ore mine that still largely shows its state of 1868.
• Bergbaumuseum am Stollen – Finds from the mountain and its surroundings, which visitors can look at before or after the tour.

Founded

1985

Operated by

Arbeitsgemeinschaft Neuenbürger Bergbau e.V.

Admission & discounts

Prices include the guided tour. Please pay by card if possible.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: not available
• Elevator: not available
• 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

Narrow tunnels and a total of 163 steps; not suitable for wheelchairs, walkers or people with severe walking difficulties.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Stroller-friendly: not available
• Kids’ birthday parties

The classic tour is suitable for everyone who can climb stairs on their own; prams are not possible in the tunnel, and baby carriers are only conditionally suitable. Children up to 7 years free. Offers for school and kindergarten groups as well as torchlight tours, for example for children's birthday parties (by registration only, not at weekends).

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant

Stollenschänke with food, coffee and cake as well as a beer garden (approx. 30 seats indoors); please pre-order for groups (tel. 0170 3261610). Card payment possible.

Events & venue rental

• Corporate events

Company outings with a guided tour and a meal in the Stollenschänke by registration.

Plan your visit