
Hessisches Braunkohle Bergbaumuseum
Mining museum in Borken (Hesse) with a visitor tunnel, a theme park full of heavy machinery, and a memorial to the North Hessian lignite district.
Over het museum
Around Borken, lignite was mined on a large scale from 1923 to 1991 and turned into electricity in a dedicated power plant; mining in North Hesse goes back about 400 years in total. The end came in the early 1990s, hastened by the Stolzenbach mining disaster of June 1, 1988, in which 51 miners died. A support group for a museum was formed as early as 1991, the memorial at the former mine site was dedicated the same year, and the museum building in Borken's old town followed in 1992.
The museum is run by the town of Borken (Hesse); a foundation backed by energy companies and the local savings bank, among others, supports its work. The museum sees itself as a place of industrial heritage that links the legacy of mining and the power plant with exhibitions.
In the old town, the mining history department occupies a half-timbered house, and a reconstructed tunnel features underground mining machines that are demonstrated on guided tours. On the edge of town, the roughly 3.5-hectare theme park “Kohle & Energie” (Coal & Energy) displays excavators, drilling rigs, mine locomotives and power plant technology in the open air. A museum trail lined with sculptures connects the two sites, and a lignite trail leads through today's landscape of lakes. There is also a mineral collection and a collection of prints by the mining artist Hermann Kätelhön.
Hoogtepunten
- Guided tour of the visitor tunnel with machine demonstrations
- 14-meter-tall bucket-wheel excavator in the theme park
- Mine locomotives, bucket-chain excavators and power plant technology
- Memorial to the 1988 Stolzenbach mining disaster
- Prints by the mining artist Hermann Kätelhön
- Lignite trail through the post-mining landscape
Vaste collectie
- Besucherstollen und Bergbaugeschichte – A reconstructed tunnel with demonstrations of drilling, loading and hauling equipment, plus an exhibition on the history of Hessian lignite mining in the half-timbered house.
- Themenpark Kohle & Energie – Outdoor site with heavy open-pit mining equipment, mine railways and power plant technology along a 1.5-kilometer loop trail.
- Hermann Kätelhön – Prints by the mining artist depicting everyday work underground, on loan from a private collection.
- Opgericht
- 1992
- Beheerder
- Stadt Borken (Hessen)
- Bezoekers per jaar
- ca. 18.000
Toegangsprijzen & kortingen
| Volwassenen | € 4 |
|---|---|
| Met korting | € 3Seniors, young people, people with severe disabilities |
| Kinderen & jongeren | € 1,50gratis t/m 6 jaar · Children under 13: €1.50; under 7: free. |
| Senioren | € 3 |
| Mensen met een beperking | € 3 |
| Groepen (vanaf 15 pers.) | € 3,50 p.p.Groups of 15 or more: €3.50 per site (reduced €2.50), combination ticket €6 (reduced €4); school students up to grade 6: €1.50, from grade 7: €2.50. |
| Gezinnen | € 8Family ticket for one site; combination family ticket €14. |
| Combination ticket for visitor tunnel + theme park | € 6,50reduced €5, children under 13 €2.50 |
| Combination family ticket | € 14 |
| Children's birthday tour (up to 10 children and 3 adults) | € 35each additional child €1.50, each additional adult €4 |
| Children's activity day (ages 5–12, groups of 10 or more) | € 6,50per person |
Gratis toegang: Free admission on International Museum Day and on “Blauer Sonntag” (the last Sunday of the Hessian summer school holidays).
Single tickets are valid for either the visitor tunnel or the theme park. Cash only.
Toegankelijkheid
- Deels rolstoeltoegankelijk
- Lift: geen informatie
- Aangepast toilet: geen informatie
- Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats: geen informatie
- Hulphonden welkom: geen informatie
- Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
- Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
- Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
- Audiodescriptie: geen informatie
The Kohle & Energie theme park is accessible; the visitor tunnel is not.
Kinderen & gezin
Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen
| Toegang kinderen | gratis t/m 6 jaar |
|---|---|
| Gezinsticket | € 8 · Family ticket for one site; combination family ticket €14. |
- Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
- Doe- en voelstations
- Speeltuin / speelhoek
- Kinderfeestjes
An underground adventure tunnel for children and an excavator play area in the theme park; children aged 7 to 12 get age-appropriate tours and may operate some of the machines themselves. Also children's activity days, holiday programs and family festivals at the start and end of the season.
Bereikbaarheid & parkeren
Met de auto
Gratis parkeren
Free parking right next to all museum sites.
Visitor tunnel: Am Amtsgericht 2-4 (old town); theme park: Am Freilichtmuseum 1. The two sites are connected by the museum trail.
Route plannenService & horeca
- Café
- Museumwinkel
Museum café “Kohldampf” in the entrance area of the theme park (coffee and cold drinks, during theme park opening hours). Small museum shop with souvenirs.
Evenementen & zaalverhuur
Voor zover wij weten verhuurt het museum geen ruimtes voor externe evenementen.
The museum café is currently not available for private parties or events.
Je bezoek plannen
| Rondleidingen | ja · duur ca. 1,5 uur |
|---|---|
| Aanbod voor scholen | ja |
| Goed om te weten | The visitor tunnel can only be visited on a guided tour (on foot, about 1.5 hours, max. 20 people); no reservation needed at the regular times. It is about 12 °C underground – bring sturdy shoes and a jacket. Groups of 15 or more and children's birthday parties of 10 or more children arrange their own dates. The free Schwalm-Aue museum bus is available for school classes and children's groups. Dogs are not allowed in the theme park; tours on the visitor train are currently not running. |





