The German Mining Museum in Bochum
The city of Bochum is one of the most important in the Ruhr Valley, the most industrialized region in Europe. Since mining was once the main driving force behind this industrialization, it makes sense that this city is home to one of the largest museums in the world dedicated to this former trade.
The German Mining Museum in Bochum is one of the main tourist attractions in the area. Surprisingly, it is one of the most visited museums in the country, although most of its visitors are from Germany itself, and only a small percentage are foreign tourists.
At first glance, learning about the history of mining in Germany, its rise and its decline, may not sound like the most entertaining plan. But this museum is more than that, as it offers the chance to spend a few hours in the shoes of a miner, without the risks they faced, and to descend into the depths of the mine.
Walking through the galleries and learning first-hand how the ore was extracted is even more interesting. Furthermore, the visit also includes the climb to the very top of the hoist tower, just over 60 metres high, from where you can enjoy the best views of the city of Bochum, a metropolis of more than 300,000 inhabitants.
Thanks to the construction of this museum, an installation with more than a century and a half of history, which had fallen into disuse in the second half of the 20th century, has been repurposed. The success of this conversion into a museum is more than evident when looking at the figures, at least among Germans.
