LWL Museum Zollern colliery

The Zollern mine, also known as the "Castle of Work", is considered one of the most beautiful examples of Germany's industrial past. Magnificent brick buildings, luxurious gables, beautiful Art Nouveau elements: the Zollern mine in Dortmund is considered one of the most outstanding examples of the model mines of the 19th century. In fact, the complex is more reminiscent of an aristocratic residence than a mine. It is hard to imagine today that the ensemble would be demolished after it was closed in the 1960s. The most important object in the fight for preservation was the machine hall with the impressive Art Nouveau portal - today a symbol of industrial culture.

As an LWL industrial museum, the Zollern colliery brings the living environment of the miners and their families to life. Visitors can climb the headframe or get an authentic impression of the miners' work on a guided tour of the multimedia underground world of Montanium. Special themed tours and offers for children expand the programme. The colliery is also the venue for numerous exhibitions, cultural events and festivals. In 1902 the first coal was mined at the Zollern II / IV colliery.

The Gelsenkirchen Mining Company, as the owner, commissioned the renowned architect Paul Knobbe to plan the facility as a representative "model mine." The mine's machine hall with its Art Nouveau portal was the first industrial building in Germany to be listed as a historical monument in 1969. After that, a fundamental rethink took place in how the industrial heritage of the Ruhr region was to be dealt with.


The Westphalian Industrial Museum (after 1979: LWL Industrial Museum) was founded in 2007. In 1984, the Rhineland Regional Council followed suit with the founding of the LVR Industrial Museum. The central task of these two institutions is to research the history of work and to present it in its original setting in a historic industrial building and adjacent workers' settlement. After a series of restorative measures, the Zollern colliery was opened to the public as a museum in 1999.