Schauinsland

The Schauinsland reaches 1,284 metres on Freiburg's doorstep, and its name means look into the land, from the view over the Rhine plain to the Vosges. Silver, lead and zinc were mined in the mountain from the thirteenth century until 1954, leaving around a hundred kilometres of galleries on twenty-two levels; a section is open as a show mine with guided tours in helmets and lamps. The cable car from Horben, opened in 1930, is one of the longest circulating gondola lifts in Germany. A road race was run on the mountain road for decades and the route is still a known cycling climb.

What you actually see

• The show mine - galleries from seven centuries of silver and lead working.
• The 1930 cable car - a long circulating gondola from the valley.
• The summit tower - a lookout with views to the Alps and Vosges.
• The mine scale - around a hundred kilometres of tunnels on 22 levels.

When to go

May to October for the mine, which runs guided tours seasonally; the cable car operates year-round with weather closures. Winter brings small ski and sledge runs.

Honest expectations

Mine tours are seasonal, booked and cool underground at about eleven degrees. The cable car closes in high wind. The summit is developed with car parking.

Nearby

Freiburg lies below; the Feldberg is southeast.