Rammelsberg Mine

The Rammelsberg Mine in Goslar is one of the most remarkable industrial sites in Germany: a mountain that was mined for more than a thousand years and is now a UNESCO World Heritage museum and show mine. You can ride a mine train into the mountain, walk through tunnels built around 1800 and see giant water wheels deep underground. It sits on the northern edge of the Harz Mountains in Lower Saxony.

Why the Rammelsberg Matters

Tradition dates the start of mining here to 968, although archaeological finds suggest ore from the mountain was smelted centuries earlier. Silver, copper, lead and zinc from the Rammelsberg made medieval Goslar rich, which helps explain why German emperors built a palace there.

Mining only ended on June 30, 1988, after roughly 27 million tons of ore had been extracted. A local citizens' group fought demolition and turned the site into a museum. In 1992 UNESCO listed the mine together with Goslar's old town, and in 2010 the listing was extended to the Upper Harz water management system, a network of ponds and channels that powered the region's mines.

The surface buildings, stepped dramatically up the hillside, were designed in the 1930s by Fritz Schupp and Martin Kremmer, the architects also known for the Zollverein colliery in Essen.

Things to Do at the Mine

Your visit is built around a museum ticket plus one to three guided tours. Highlights include:

• Roeder Gallery: Follow the path of water through an old drainage tunnel and see the underground water wheels that once drove the pumps.
• Mine train tour: Ride into the mountain to see how 20th-century machinery changed the miners' work.
• Ore processing plant: Learn how rock was crushed and turned into concentrate.
• Inclined elevator: A ride 100 meters up to the highest point of the site.
• Medieval adit: A lamplit expedition through a tunnel first documented in 1271; advance registration required and not included in combination tickets.

According to the museum, tours in English and Danish are offered regularly during the main season and on holidays. At other times, ask the booking office in advance. A new permanent exhibition is being developed in 2026, so some areas may change.

Tickets and Opening Hours

As of October 2026, according to the official website:

• April to October: daily 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., last tour 4:30 p.m.
• November to March: daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., last tour 3:30 p.m.
• Closed December 24 and 31

Prices (valid since January 2025): museum only €10 (children 4–17 €5.50), museum plus one tour €21 (children €14), plus two tours €30, plus three tours €37. Family rates are available, and tickets can be booked online. Your ticket also gives you 10% off at partner sites such as Goslar's Imperial Palace within seven days.

How to Get to Rammelsberg

Goslar lies roughly 90 km (56 miles) southeast of Hanover, about an hour's drive. Regional trains run hourly from Hanover, Braunschweig and Göttingen, and the Deutschlandticket covers regional trains and local buses. From the square in front of Goslar station, bus 803 runs about every 30 minutes to the "Bergbaumuseum" stop at the mine. Drivers will find car and bus parking right next to the site.

Plan at least three hours for the museum and one tour; with several tours it easily becomes a full day trip from Hanover. Bring a jacket, as it stays cool and damp underground even in summer. The on-site restaurant serves meals between tours.

Is It Worth Visiting?

Yes, especially if you enjoy industrial history or are traveling with kids, who usually love the mine train. About 70% of the visitor areas are wheelchair accessible, including the mine train tour thanks to a specially adapted car. Combine the mine with a walk through Goslar's half-timbered old town and the Imperial Palace, both part of the same World Heritage Site and just a short bus ride away.