Energeticon

Alsdorf is mining community about 15 kilometres north of Aachen, near the Belgian and Dutch borders, in the former Aachen and South Limburg coalfield. The local mining activity lasted for about 150 years. Coal mining began in 1849, followed two years later by the sinking of the Anna colliery. The second worst mining accident in German history, in which 271 people lost their lives, occurred in Shaft II of this mine on 21 October 1930. The last pit was closed in 1992.

Today, the preserved open-cast facilities of the Anna 2 mine are home to the ENERGETICON energy experience museum. With the core message 'From the sun to the sun', it deals with the past and future of human energy use, giving visitors an understanding of the energy transition from the nuclear-fossil age to the renewable age. The technical principles and data of energy production are conveyed through demonstration systems and interactive elements. The exhibition tour, which is around 700 metres long, begins with a look at the relationship between the Earth and the Sun, followed by the history of mining and the working conditions of the miners. A show tunnel leads into the former pithead bath, which encourages visitors to think about the future of energy. Here the history of the site is linked to today's energy production using mine water geothermal energy, photovoltaics and wind power. Outside, visitors pass through a sculpture park with relics from the era of the steam locomotive.