Nature reserve Nuttlarer Schiefergruben

Tunnel entrance to the diving area and former main tunnel entrance

The nature reserve Nuttlarer Schiefergruben with a size of 1.34 hectares is located southeast of Nuttlar in the municipality of Bestwig . The area was designated as a nature reserve (NSG) by the Hochsauerlandkreis in 2008 with the Bestwig landscape plan. Since 2004, the NSG has been one of ten sub-areas of the Fauna-Flora-Habitat Area (FFH) caves and tunnels near Bestwig and Olsberg (Natura 2000 No. DE-4616-304) in the European system of protected areas according to Natura 2000. The NSG exists from five sub-areas around tunnel entrances or tunnel mouth holes. Two areas are to the east of federal highway 7 and three to the west.

Area description

The NSG consists of five tunnel entrances to the Ostwig slate mine, which was used until the 1980s, and the tunnels themselves. A small quarry and heaps also belong to the NSG. The tunnels are used by bats as winter quarters.

Slate mine

Mining began in the slate mine in 1878. Up to 200 workers temporarily mined slate and were busy processing it into roofing and slab slate. The result was a mine labyrinth with kilometer-long corridors and huge halls on five levels and an extension of about 20 kilometers. Inclined tunnels, called brake mountains, connect the various floors and conveyor lines with one another.

Around 70 Russian forced laborers were used in the slate mine in the Second World War until March 29, 1945. Cyrillic letters can still be found on a mine wall today.

After the mine went bankrupt in 1985, the electricity was switched off and with it the pumps. The mine has not been cleared of equipment, etc. After that, the mine was partially full of water in seven years. Of the five mining levels or levels, the lower two are completely flooded over a length of around 12 km. The maximum diving depth is up to 30 meters. The carts, an overhead loader and tools are still in the mine.

You can go cave diving in the mine .

Protection purpose

The NSG is supposed to protect the area of the slate quarries with their species inventory.

As with all nature reserves in Germany, the protection designation pointed out that the area became a nature reserve “because of the rarity, special character and beauty of the area”.