Schaubergwerk Volle Rose

About the museum

Mining was carried out in the Schorte valley south of Ilmenau for centuries. At first mainly manganese ore was extracted, and from the 19th century increasingly fluorspar and barite. Manganese mining ended in 1949, spar mining in 1991. The "Volle Rose" valley adit is about 350 meters long; the ore was once transported out by an ore-car railway with a track gauge of 600 millimeters.

After mining ended, the mine was developed into a show mine for visitors, initially run by associations and the town of Langewiesen. Since 2003, the track network of the field railway was expanded for tourist rides, so that today a loop of about 3.5 kilometers runs through the valley. After the territorial reform, the site passed to the town of Ilmenau; after a break of about a year, a new leaseholder took over operations in 2021.

Today the show mine is part of the excursion ensemble "Schorte erleben" with a restaurant and event grounds. Miners take guests into the adit on the mine train and explain the former work underground. Since 2025, the Traditionsverein Schlitten und Bob Ilmenau (sled and bobsled heritage association) has also been showing historic sleds and memorabilia of Ilmenau's winter sports in the sled barn.

Highlights

• Ride the mine train about 360 m into the valley adit
• Tour led by experienced miners
• Field railway loop ride through the Schorte valley
• Sled barn on Ilmenau's winter sports history
• About 10 °C in the adit year-round

Permanent exhibitions

• Talstollen „Volle Rose“ – Guided ride on the mine train into the historic adit, where spar was mined until 1991.
• Museum Schlittenscheune – Historic sleds, sports equipment, and memorabilia of Ilmenau's luge and bobsled tradition, presented by the local heritage association.

Operated by

Schortemühle GmbH

Admission & discounts

"Unter Tage" (underground) ticket (mine train) €11, children €7. A visit to the sled barn is included in all tickets. Mine train and field railway are reserved separately online; payment on site at the visitor information.

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

The mine and field railway are not accessible; the ride into the mine is on open cars in which you sit astride one behind the other.

Kids & families

Great for kids & familiesRecommended for ages 3+

The mine train underground and the field railway ride above ground are meant as a family outing. Children may ride in from age 3, up to age 14 only with an adult.

Getting there & parking

GPS address: Schortestraße 57, 98693 Ilmenau; the site is in the Schorte valley between Ilmenau and Langewiesen.

Amenities & dining

• Restaurant

Restaurant Schortemühle at the same location (Thu–Mon). New guest restrooms in the guest house are under construction until about March 2027.

Events & venue rental

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

Rental of the Schorte grounds via the Schortemühle: festival meadow, festival tent, alpine hut, beer garden, and locomotive shed, with the field and mine railways on request.

Plan your visit