Rammelsberg Mine

Ore was taken from the Rammelsberg from at least the tenth century and mining continued without a break until 1988, when the deposit was exhausted, making it one of the longest continuously worked mines anywhere; silver from it funded imperial Goslar. Workings from several periods survive, including the Roeder galleries of the eighteenth century with wooden water wheels used to drain and lift, and twentieth-century ore processing plant left in place. UNESCO listed the mine with Goslar's old town in 1992 and extended the listing in 2010 to include the Upper Harz Water Regale, a system of ponds and ditches built to power the mines.

What you actually see

• The Roeder galleries - eighteenth-century workings with wooden water wheels.
• The processing plant - twentieth-century ore machinery left in position.
• The thousand-year span - workings from the tenth century to 1988.
• The water system - ponds and ditches of the Upper Harz Water Regale.

When to go

Year-round; underground tours run at set times and it is cool below, around ten degrees. Different tours cover different periods and areas. Booking helps in season.

Honest expectations

Underground routes involve steps, low sections and damp. Separate tours cover separate areas at separate prices. Not all are available every day.

Nearby

Goslar's old town lies below; the Harz mountains rise south.