Saarland mining museum
The Saarland Mining Museum is located in the city of Bexbach on the grounds of the flower garden. The Hindenburg Tower serves as a museum building, which is also an observation tower. The presentation of large exhibits such as locomotives , roller bodies or newer hydraulic shields continues in the vicinity of the tower in the flower garden.
The museum was established in 1934, and has been continuously expanded and developed. It deals exclusively with hard coal mining from its early beginnings in the 15th century to the mid-1980s. Since the story is also continuously illustrated by original exhibits, due to the limited space and the size of the machines, it is no longer possible to depict the history afterwards. So that the visitor can understand this era, the newer and current technology is presented by means of DVD projection.
As a special attraction, the visitor can get to know the work of the coal miner on the Saar in the realistically designed underground mine. Due to the expansion, the system shows the current types of expansion of the Saar coal mining industry at time intervals, from wood construction to steel stamps to modern hydraulic shields. Using a compressed air system, various devices can be put into operation during the tours, such as rotary hammers or coal drilling machines. The visitors can then operate these devices themselves. A visit to the museum is a special and lasting experience, especially for children and young people.
The museum in the Hindenburg tower is divided into different departments, each of which is assigned a floor. One floor shows the eventful history of the administration of the Saar mines between Germany and France from the time of the Counts of Nassau-Saarbrücken to Napoleon , the time of the world wars and the current administration by Deutsche Steinkohle AG . The subject of coke production , important for iron production, the mining activities on other mineral resources on the Saar and the history of the transport of people and materials underground and above ground complete the presentation. Also the social history , ie the depiction of the daily life of the miners , from the training to the house building up to the daily shopping, which was partly supported by the mine administration, finds space in the museum tower. The model of a miner's house with appropriate furnishings from the end of the 19th century serves as an illustration .
Other floors deal with security and the different development of technology, including the special features of the Saar compared to mining in the Ruhr area . Machines for coal extraction are shown on another floor. In a separate extension, the effects of mining on nature and the recultivation of nature are presented in a special exhibition. Regional mining history from the city of Bexbach and a geological department round off the information before going through the laundry and lamp room into the underground facility.
In addition to the mining museum, the flower garden offers differently designed garden areas, such as the Luxembourg or Japanese garden , a herb garden, water lily ponds, biotopes and also a hiking trail to Monte Barbara, a former mining dump that nature has recaptured and whose plateau has a statue of the Saint Barbara crowns.
Web links
- Website of the Saarland Mining Museum
- Website of the city of Bexbach
- Exhibits from the Saarland Mining Museum on the DigiCult website - Museums in Saarland
- Literature on Saarland Mining Museum in the Saarland Bibliography
Coordinates: 49 ° 20 ′ 33.5 ″ N , 7 ° 15 ′ 40 ″ E