Bindweide Visitor Mine

Bindweide iron ore mine opened in the 1830s. At its peak there were 900 miners but it closed in 1931. It became a mine for visitors in 1981. A visitor centre built in 2014 that introduces the geological history of ore formation and the technical history of iron and steel using models, images and specimens. The tour underground begins with a journey of nearly 1km on a train and continues on foot for 300m. Guides explain the working techniques and conditions underground to the sound of equipment. Visitors see the bottom of a vertical shaft dug for ore to be taken out by a winding engine. Back on the surface, a blacksmith’s forge was built in 2013 to give demonstrations of the use of iron. Another addition to the site is the Barbara Tower, a 22-m steel headframe relocated from a mine in the Harz Mountains that visitors can climb to enjoy the views.