Recklinghausen Training Mine

This training mine for the coal industry was created to demonstrate varied conditions and situations in a safe way – it therefore feels less controlled and more authentic than many ‘real’ preserved mines. In the 1,200-m long drift, there are various types of coal-cutting and transport equipment, communications and power equipment, tunnel supports and a short mine-shaft. Guides who worked in coal mining before it ended across Germany in 2018 provide tours. Visitors can try techniques for themselves.

Recklinghausen was one of the important coal-mining cities in the Ruhr. The tunnels used by the training mine were created as underground shelters during the Second World War in the spoil tip of the Recklinghausen II coal mine, which continued working worked until 1972. The tunnels were converted into the training mine by the Ruhrkohle company (RAG) in 1975. The site is now cared for by a foundation with public and industrial aid and the support of former workers.