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History

The history of the Velsen adventure mine

The Velsen Adventure Mine is not just a relic of times gone by, but a living place where history is preserved and brought to life.
Schematische Darstellung des Lehrstollens der Grube Velsen
Schematic representation of the practice gallery of the Velsen mine.

From shelter to training gallery

A small part of today's Velsen adventure mine was used as an air raid shelter for the Velsen mine workforce during the Second World War. After the war, it was extended and used to introduce young prospective miners to active mining in a safe environment. This required original machinery, real expansion and experienced miners who familiarized these young men not only with the handling of the equipment, but also with safety devices, signalling systems and mining vocabulary.

Training for generations of miners

Tens of thousands of young miners had to complete this stage of their training, regardless of whether they went on to become operators, foremen or hewers. Hundreds of so-called "Lehrhauern" taught the boys their specialist knowledge. Every miner remembers his time in the training gallery.

Unique since the fifties

As early as 1956, the miners' training guide Engel wrote in the Saarbrücker Bergmannskalender that the training gallery was used by "many hundreds of visitors" and was "more beautiful, larger and more authentic than the show mines of the Deutsches Museum or the Mining Museum in Bochum". It can therefore be assumed that from the very beginning in the 1950s, training for miners and tours for those interested in mining were carried out in parallel.

From training center to adventure mine

In 2000, RAG Bildung resumed guided tours for visitors and founded the "Velsen Adventure Mine" alongside reduced training measures. However, TÜV Nord, the successor to RAG Bildung, only offered visitor tours sporadically in addition to training, as its concept was training and further education and not the operation of a visitor mine. In the course of RAG's gradual withdrawal from Saarland, the mine was threatened with closure and backfilling in 2011, as TÜV Nord terminated its lease and there was no other tenant in sight.

Der Saar-Diamant: ein ca. 100 jahre alter Kohlebrocken aus Velsen
The Saar diamond is a 100-year-old lump of coal from Velsen.

Commitment saves the mine

Former miners around the current Chairman Volker Etgen founded the non-profit association Erlebnisbergwerk Velsen e.V. in 2011 in order to be able to continue the guided tours of the now well-known adventure mine and to save the tunnel from being filled with concrete. The mine was leased from RAG for a symbolic price of one euro and the association undertook to cover the maintenance and all running costs itself. With a great deal of commitment and voluntary work, this goal has been achieved to date.

Milestones in the club's history

31.08.2011
Founding meeting of EBV e.V.
30.03.2012
Lease agreement for the mine and the site with RAG Montan Immobilien
02.04.2012
The first visitors are guided through the mine.
26.06.2012
Approval of the main operating plan by the Saarbrücken Mining Authority
25.08.2012
Blessing of our St. Barbe - a gift from French miners
2015
Preparation of the "Knubbebud" event location
2015
Installation of two 28t shields from Luisenthal in the outdoor area
2015
Construction of an aerial route using mining technology as a covered seating area for visitors
2015
Participation in the Google Arts and Culture program - first underground 3D mine
2016
Shooting of the Ophüls award-winning medium-length feature film "Endling" in the adventure mine
2017
Presentation of the 3D mine to Google CEO Sundar Pichai at the Saarbrücken IT Summit
2018
Welcoming the 50,000th visitor
2019
Presentation of the EBV at the international conference ICMUM in Krakow
2017-2019
Ready-to-run restoration of a Ruhrtal underground diesel locomotive from the fifties
2019
Home transportation of the Saar diamond - an almost 100-year-old lump of coal from Velsen
18.11.2019
The underground area of the EBV is placed under protection. We are a technical monument.
17.03.2022
Transfer of ownership of the mine and the associated site by RAG to EBV e.V.
2025
Supervision of the Velsen winding machine.
Did you know?
Miners refer to their tools as "Gezähe", which they need for work underground. Examples include: hammer, chisel, mallet, spade, crowbar, and shovel.
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