Visited the abandoned silver/copper/barite mine in #Hallwangen, 72280 Germany. It’s a rather interesting one as it dates back to #medieval times and is still excavated by voluntary workers. The earliest record found dates back to 12C and the upper mining gallery “Himmlisch Heer” shows markings that are the result of hand tools while the second gallery “Irmgardsglück” has holes for explosives drilled with machines powered by compressed air. That part also has wider tunnels while the upper part is mostly crawl spaces.

The mine was abandoned and reopened several times for different reasons. The last activity was in 1912 and some stuff like an old rail for push carts and parts of electric installations can still be seen to this day.

I can totally recommend a tour. We got to see a lot of interesting stuff packaged with fascinating stories and explanations [on another visit]. Been to some mines in my life already but seldom did I get to see so many details in such tiny tunnels. Granted, most mines were rather modern and huge drilled exclusively with modern machines.

If you visit don’t forget to greet the tunnel at the entrance with the classic “Glück auf!” shout of the local miners for safe passage and fortune.

Mine Hallwangen: https://www.bergwerk-hallwangen.de/ Originally noted: https://beko.famkos.net/2023/09/17/historic-silver-mine-hallwangen/