140 YEARS OF THE MANSFELDER BERGWERKSBAHN
The initial section of the Mansfelder Bergwerksbahn (Mansfeld mining railway) ran on a gauge of 750 mm and opened on 15 November 1880. It covered the 5 km route from the Kupferkammerhütte smelter near Hettstedt to the Glückhilfschächten pits near Welfesholz and quickly became an important means of transport between the Mansfeld pits and smelters. The resulting railway network became the main means of transport for the Mansfeld region for around 110 years. In addition to the copper shale that had to be transported from the pits to the primary smelters, the railway mainly carried coal, foundry coke, pit props, slag bricks, building materials and various semi-finished products from the smelters. At its largest extent, the total length of the railway network in its various local operating phases was approx. 95 km.
Up until 1969, miners also made use of the narrow-gauge railway. On 16 November 1991, the Mansfelder Bergwerksbahn e.V. heritage railway association was founded in order to preserve part of the route of the Mansfelder Bergwerksbahn belonging to the former mining company Mansfeld Kombinat Wilhelm Pieck Eisleben. Today you can discover the hilly landscape of the former mining region by travelling on Germany’s oldest operational narrow-gauge railway along the approx. 11 km of preserved line. Experience a bygone era as you ride in the historic carriages of the Bergwerksbahn.