Schiefergrube Assberg
Medieval roofing slate quarry near Limbach in the Westerwald, with a freely accessible visitor tunnel that descends 20 meters by stairs.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Assberg roofing slate quarry was first mentioned in 1548 in a grant document of the nearby Cistercian monastery of Marienstatt, but its origins go back even further. Quarrying began in an open pit about 240 meters long and 70 meters wide and was later continued underground. The roughly 20-meter-deep medieval pit was created without technical aids; it has the shape of a chapel, and a carved cross points to the monastery's ownership.
The quarry produced clay slate plates, which were processed into roof shingles. Among other buildings, the Marienstatt Abbey and Hachenburg Castle were roofed with them. The slate dates from the Lower Devonian and is around 400 million years old: it formed from marine sediments that were cleaved into layers when the Rhenish Slate Mountains were folded.
Today the quarry is a visitor mine, freely accessible at any time all year round by three steep flights of stairs. Information boards explain the history of slate mining in the region. As a GeoPunkt it belongs to the Nationaler Geopark Westerwald-Lahn-Taunus, and in 2025, 25 years after it opened to visitors, it was named "Geotop of the Year." It is looked after by the Kultur- und Verkehrsverein Limbach.
Highlights
- Freely accessible visitor tunnel 20 m underground
- Medieval slate quarry in the shape of a chapel
- Open pit 240 m long and 70 m wide
- Information boards on mining history
- GeoPunkt in the Westerwald-Lahn-Taunus Geopark
Permanent exhibitions
- Besucherstollen der Dachschiefergrube – Stairs lead visitors down into the medieval underground site, about 20 meters deep and shaped like a chapel.
- Schautafeln zum Schieferbergbau – Boards explain the history of roofing slate quarrying in the Westerwald and how the rock formed.
- Operated by
- Kultur- und Verkehrsverein Limbach e. V. (Betreuung)
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
Access is free of charge.
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
Access to the underground site is via three steep flights of stairs.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
By car
Parking available
The quarry lies outside the village; access is signposted from the Limbach town exit toward Astert. There are parking spaces on the grounds. The quarry lies roughly midway along the seven-kilometer "Limbacher Panoramaweg" (Limbacher Runde 21) and on the Westerwaldsteig.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 45 min |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Group tours (about 45 minutes) are offered by arrangement by the Kultur- und Verkehrsverein Limbach; information is available from the Tourist-Information Hachenburger Westerwald. Public tours take place on individual dates, for example on the Day of the Geotop. On site, information boards provide explanations. |
