Museum of Mining

The Emser Mining Museum is temporarily closed to the public
due to extensive construction work.

Visits or archive uses can be arranged by prior appointment!

In 1996, the Emser Mining Museum was opened in the historic Steigerhaus of the lead smelter. Here, visitors gain insight into the time when the spa town of Bad Ems extracted lead and zinc ores. The museum offers an extensive exhibition that includes a mineral cabinet, a museum train, technical exhibits, as well as the Emser Mining Archive.

In the Emsbach Valley, the Romans already operated mining close to the surface and underground. During the Middle Ages, the extraction of silver was particularly a lucrative source of income for the archbishops of Trier. The industrialization in the 18th and 19th centuries brought an enormous boost to the mining and smelting operations. Between mining and the spa administration, there were ever-increasing conflicts, as the mine dug into the thermal springs and caused immense environmental problems, leading to a prolonged conflict between the very contrasting economic sectors until the closure of the mine in 1945.

Today, only a few remnants of mining architecture are visible within the city area – such as the city tunnel (started in 1869, about 750 m long, for drainage). The mouth of the Neuhoffnungsstollen (started in 1858, main extraction tunnel with 15 underground levels) is located on Arzbacher Straße. In addition, the old energy center at the West Station, the Adolph shaft in the Pitschbachtal, the chimney shaft at Blöskopf, various tunnel entrances in the Emser city forest, as well as the miners' settlements Lindenbach, Fahnenberg, Eisenbach, and Pfingstwiese are worth seeing.