The museum of industry in Osnabruck opened in 1994 in the surface buildings of the Haseschacht, the‘hare’ colliery, opened in 1870, an imposing series of structures in the Rundbogenstil, or round arch style, located on the flanks of the Piesberg mountain. The displays show the historical importance of coal mining, steam power and the early development of industrialisation. Two steam engines used in the colliery, one of 1849 and one of 1916, can be set in motion. A glass-walled lift takes visitors 30 m underground where they are able to explore workings that extend 280 m from the shaft. They are also able to inspect the pithead baths, the colliery stables and the explosives store.

The museum is set in a country park, and is the focus for several trails including a 13 km cycling route that takes in 24 sites and a 5 km walk around the Piesberg. A printing and paper-making workshop that has been in operation since 1987 and the museum friends’ association has its headquarters in the buildings of the railway station that once served the colliery.