In the Miners’ Footsteps

Some 1500 miners toiled below ground digging for silver, lead, copper, cobalt, nickel and zinc in the early part of the 16th century. The Anna Mine and the Nickel Museum are a legacy of that time. Tours of the mine and Nickel Museum are offered from enod of May until mid October.

Guided Tour of Bromriesen Mine and Hopfriesen Nickel Museum:

After a hike up taking around 25 minutes, we reach the entrance of the former silver mine. Visitors are issued a helmet, protective jacket, flashlights and some carbide lamps. You will be able to see examples of mining methods used through the centuries, including setting fires and using chisels. Braver visitors may wish to crawl on hands and knees through the air shaft, which brings you back to daylight a little higher up the mountain.

In the Bromriesen mine, you truly feel how it must have felt back then to have earned your daily wage under such tough conditions. In the dark, equipped solely with headlamps, you are led by your guide via a series of ladders into the system of mine galleries. The mining methods of that time, which included setting fires, chiseling and blasting, are still recognizable today. This unique subterranean experience allows you to immerse yourself, quite literally, in the mystical lives of the miners. The interplay between being impressed and having a few nervous butterflies in your stomach has enticed many a person to return to this mine again. There is no more imposing way to experience history!