Museum Industriekultur Osnabrück
Industrial museum on the grounds of the former Piesberg coal mine, with working steam engines and a ride down into the 30-meter-deep Hase Tunnel.
About the museum
The museum is located on the Piesberg in Osnabrück, on the site of a coal mine that closed in 1898 after its salty mine water had heavily polluted the Hase River. The Haseschacht building, a round-arched structure from 1871, is now the museum's main building; the former wash house from 1893 serves as the storage building for special exhibitions and administration.
The museum opened in 1994 under municipal management and has been run since 1998 as a nonprofit limited company (gGmbH), majority-owned by Sparkasse Osnabrück with the city as a shareholder. Starting in 1997, the museum had the Hase Tunnel, built between 1853 and 1856, uncovered; as part of an Expo 2000 project, around 300 meters of the tunnel were made accessible. A glass elevator takes visitors down 30 meters. In winter, bats use the tunnel as a roost. In 2022, the museum received the museum quality seal of the Museumsverband Niedersachsen und Bremen (museum association of Lower Saxony and Bremen).
The interactive permanent exhibition "Mensch – Natur – Wirtschaft" (People – Nature – Economy) shows how the region's natural conditions shaped its economy and how the economy, in turn, changed the landscape. Historical objects, hands-on stations, and a dedicated children's trail convey work and everyday life in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Two historic steam engines are regularly put into operation.
Highlights
- Ride the glass elevator 30 meters down into the walkable Hase Tunnel
- Historic steam engines that are regularly operated
- Haseschacht building from 1871 on the grounds of the former Piesberg mine
- Interactive permanent exhibition with a children's trail
- Location in the Piesberg culture and landscape park with a playground and beer garden
Permanent exhibitions
- Mensch – Natur – Wirtschaft – Interactive permanent exhibition in the Haseschacht building about industrialization, mining, and the economy of the Osnabrück region, with steam engines and a children's trail.
- Hasestollen – Around 300 meters of walkable tunnel from the 1850s, reached by glass elevator, where visitors can get a sense of work underground.
- Founded
- 1994
- Operated by
- Museum Industriekultur Osnabrück gGmbH
- Director
- Vera Hierholzer
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €7.50 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €5Young people aged 16 to 18, school students, students of universities outside Osnabrück, trainees with an AzubiCard, people with a severe disability ID (Schwerbehindertenausweis) |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 15 · Children under 16 free |
| Seniors | –No senior discount listed |
| Visitors with disabilities | €5companion free · Reduced with a severe disability ID; one companion free |
| Students & apprentices | freeStudents of Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences and Osnabrück University free, other students €5 |
| Groups (10+ people) | €5 per personPer person for groups of 10 or more |
| Combination ticket for permanent and special exhibition | €10Reduced €7.50 |
| Annual pass | €30For permanent and special exhibitions |
| Family annual pass | €50For permanent and special exhibitions |
Special exhibitions in the storage building cost €7.50 each (reduced €5). Prices for guided tours and programs are listed in the calendar.
Accessibility
- Partially wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits: not available
- Sign language tours
- Easy-to-read materials: not available
- Audio description: not available
The main entrance of the Haseschacht building has steps; after registering (0541 122447), the team opens an accessible side entrance. An elevator serves the exhibition, but the Hase Tunnel and the bat cellar are not fully accessible. Accessible parking space at the Haseschacht building behind a barrier (call on arrival); accessible restrooms in the annex and in the storage building, whose entrance is at ground level. Low-barrier tours, including with sign language interpretation, on request; folding stools can be borrowed free of charge, and tours with a headphone system can be booked.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Time needed | approx. 1.5 hrs |
|---|---|
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 15 |
- Family tours & workshops
- Hands-on stations
- Playground / play area
- Kids’ birthday parties
Family tours, tunnel tours with helmet and lamp, holiday programs during the Easter, summer, and fall breaks, and numerous children's birthday programs. The permanent exhibition has its own children's trail; the grounds have a playground and picnic areas.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Industriemuseum · 230 m
Bus line 18 to the stop "Industriemuseum" near the Haseschacht building; for the storage building, the stop "Süberweg" (same line).
By car
Parking available
Signposted parking at both locations. In case of heavy ice, park directly at the Haseschacht building.
- Accessible parking
The path from the "Industriemuseum" stop to the entrance leads over stairs and unpaved paths. GPS address for the Haseschacht building: Fürstenauer Weg 171; storage building: Süberweg 50a.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
- Wi-Fi
Café MIK in the Haseschacht building with homemade cake and, twice a month, a Sunday breakfast (registration required); beer garden behind the Haseschacht building from spring to fall. Wi-Fi in the Haseschacht building, in the café, and in the storage building.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Photography | Photography and filming for private purposes allowed, including with flash and tripod; no flash in the Hase Tunnel from October to March (bat protection). Commercial recordings only by arrangement and for a fee. |
| Good to know | Guided tours of the exhibition, the tunnel, and the Piesberg (including "Mit Helm und Lampe" (With Helmet and Lamp), a technology tour, and a lantern tour) for individual visitors according to the calendar and for groups on request, also in English and French. Booking through the visitor service (Wed–Sun, 0541 122447). Dogs not allowed; assistance dogs welcome. The visitor restrooms are in a separate building; the key is available at the ticket desk. |
