A few years have passed since the famous words “one does not simply walk into Mordor” were spoken, but they have not been forgotten. However, we did just simply walk into the Rammelsberg Mines near Hannover a few weeks back.
We had packed our bags for what promised to be a really cold weekend away in the Harz natural park, close to Hannover. Lovely hotel booked, no plans made other than to explore the area and enjoy the snow. But mr. Tom Hanks said in Forrest Gump, life’s like a box of chocolates, you never know what’s going to come. So, after a wonderful first day visiting old friends and visiting some of the filming locations from the film Monuments’ Men in Clausthal-Zellerfeld, we hopped in the car and drove to Goslar.
What is in Goslar you may ask. Well, besides the beautiful old mining town, there you’ll find the UNESCO Cultural Heritage for All Humanity Site of Rammelsberg. A set of highly preserved mines that have been worked uninterrupted for over 1000 years, until its permanent closure in 1988. There is also archeological proof of extractions dating back as far as 3000 years. An engineering gem, the old mechanics can be visited as well as the mines themselves! It’s a wowing as well as super interesting experience, and we learned a few unexpected things. Did you know that sometimes, the miners would sleep in the mines as it was not worth going back up for a few hours. Or that the temperature stays between 8 and 10 ºC all year-long?
Anyhow, because a picture is worth a thousand words, I decided to put a short clip together for you to join in on our underground adventure. Enjoy, and don’t forget to subscribe to !
You can visit the Rammelsberg Mines (Bergtal 19, 38640 Goslar) daily from 9 am to 6 pm (except December 24th and 31st) with eight different themed tours to choose from, which include the entrance fee to all adjacent exhibitions in the site. For more information and bookings you can visit their website.
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