Bergbaumuseum des Kreises Altenkirchen

The Bergbaumuseum des Kreises Altenkirchen stands in Sassenroth, a district of Herdorf. It opened in 1986 and focuses on the Siegerland mining region. Inside, an interactive map marks the sites of local pits and smelters. A mineral cabinet displays rocks from the Siegen strata. The museum also traces the history of iron mining in the area.

Below the entrance is a show mine that recreates the miners’ working conditions. Outside, a 15-metre headframe and large steelworks machines from the Charlottenhütte are on display. School groups can join guided tours that include activities such as a treasure hunt on an old spoil heap in the nearby forest. The museum also serves as a geo-information centre for the Westerwald-Lahn-Taunus Geopark.

Visitors find a mix of indoor exhibits and outdoor industrial relics. The interactive map helps locate former mines across the countryside. The mineral collection shows the varied rocks of the region. The show mine gives a sense of the confined spaces miners once worked in. The outdoor machinery illustrates the scale of early steel production. Trails around the site link the museum to the surrounding landscape.