However, what it actually looks like when plant remains "coal" deep underground over the centuries, first turning into peat, then into lignite, and finally into hard coal, and how black gold is extracted from the earth – visitors get a lasting impression of this at the world's largest mining museum.
The fact that the museum, founded on April 1, 1930, attracts around 400,000 visitors per year and is among the most visited museums in Germany is probably less due to spectacular exhibits such as the seven-ton remains of a shed tree from the Carboniferous period or historical mining machines. It is particularly the depths – and the heights – that draw large and small visitors alike.
In a realistic demonstration mine, you can experience a piece of the underground world at depths of up to 20 meters (industrial term for "depth") over a distance of 2.5 kilometers – encountering, among other things, "Tobias," a model of the last pit horse. If you wish, you can then take a ride on the headframe designed by Zollverein architect Fritz Schupp from the year 1938/39. From observation platforms at heights of up to 62 meters, you have a wide view over the Ruhr area.
By the way, it’s not all just about coal – in the mining museum, which serves as a research institute, the history of mining explores all the natural resources that have been and still are extracted around the world and underground.
