Schiefergrube Herrenberg

About the museum

The Herrenberg mine near Bundenbach produced roofing slate until operations ceased in 1964. From 1975 the association of fossil friends (Verein der Fossilienfreunde) cleared the galleries and made them accessible; in 1976 the show mine opened. In 1988 it was modified so that wheelchair users could also visit it.

The tours showed hand-cut galleries and extraction areas, quartz veins in the blue-grey slate, as well as pyrite and stalactites. A small mining museum presented old and new tools for slate extraction, and courses allowed interested visitors to learn about the preparation of fossils, since the Hunsrück slate is famous for its fossils.

In February 2022 a rockfall brought down roughly 25 tons of slate slabs from the ceiling. Since then the mine has been closed to visitors, and the entrance is fenced off with a grille. Because of earlier construction defects, the rock structure and high costs, the municipality considers a reopening unlikely in the long term and is instead exploring other offerings in the "Tal der Jahrtausende" (Valley of the Millennia).

Highlights

• Former roofing-slate mine with hand-cut galleries
• Small mining museum on slate extraction (currently not accessible)
• Fossil-rich Hunsrück slate
• Starting point of the Hahnenbach valley tour

Admission & discounts

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Accessibility

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Kids & families

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Getting there & parking

The Hunsrück Fossil Museum Bundenbach and the Celtic settlement Altburg are in the immediate vicinity.

Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

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