Helvetic Gold Museum
The Helvetic Gold Museum in Burgdorf Castle (Switzerland) is the only museum in the country that gives an overview of gold panning and gold mining in Switzerland.
The museum was created in June 2000 on the initiative of Werner Lüthi in the former dungeon in the fortified tower of Burgdorf Castle. This subterranean room, which has two floors due to a later built-in intermediate floor, is somewhat reminiscent of a mine. This is intended to provide the appropriate framework to depict the history of gold prospecting and extraction. As a result of renovations, the museum will be closed until 2020.
In addition to equipment, pictures and models, there are also various gold samples from Swiss sites and, for comparison, samples from all over the world. Gold coins and pieces of jewelery show that the streams leading to gold in Switzerland were probably already known to the Celts. Later, panning for gold around the Napf became an important source of additional income. Between 1523 and 1800, around 31 kilograms of washing gold were extracted in the Lucerne Napf region alone. In the Helvetic Gold Museum you can learn how the gold washers looked for the precious tinsel in the streams. The exhibition also deals with the gold mines in Graubünden, Valais and Ticino; the one at Astano in Malcantone was in operation sporadically until the mid-1940s, the others had been idle earlier.
Tools such as those used by modern hobby gold seekers are also exhibited. Gold can be panned for a fee in the castle courtyard during summer opening times.
literature
Helvetisches Goldmuseum (Hersg): Guide to the Helvetisches Goldmuseum. Burgdorf 2000