Guided tours for groups
We offer group tours on various topics. Please use the enquiry form or call us on +49 (0)2302 93664-28. We kindly ask you to book at least 10 days in advance of your visit. We respond to enquiries on weekdays from Monday to Friday between 8.30 a.m. and 12.30 p.m. Our service office is closed at weekends.
Underground tours
General information
There are tracks on the floor and the ground is uneven and stony. The ceiling height is only 1.40 metres in some places, meaning that you will not be able to stand upright at times. The average annual temperature is between 10 and 12 degrees. Please ensure you wear appropriate clothing.
- Temperature in the tunnel: approx. 14°C (summer) / approx. 8°C (winter)
- Sturdy footwear required
- Access for children aged 6 and above (Grand Mine Tour programme for children aged 10 and above)
- Not suitable for people with walking disabilities, walking aids or mobility aids
Nightingale Tunnel
Duration: 1 hour
Participants: maximum 10
Cost: 45 Euro plus admission
Age: 6 years and older
Gigantic ferns, enormous trees, impenetrable primeval forests – this is what gave rise to hard coal 300 million years ago. During our one-hour guided tour through the Nachtigallstollen tunnel, you will reach a real coal seam and be able to touch it with your own hands. On site, you will experience first-hand the difficult conditions under which miners extracted the ‘black gold’. We will take you on a journey from the formation of coal to the importance of this fossil fuel in the past, present and future.
Grand Mine Tour
Duration: 2 hours
Participants: maximum 10
Cost: 65 Euro plus admission
Age: 10 years and older
The Grand Mine Tour offers an exciting journey back to the early days of mining in the Ruhr region. In two hours, you will explore the entire visitor mine, including the Dünkelberg Tunnel. It runs parallel to the Nachtigall Tunnel deep into the mountain. This is where brickworks operator Wilhelm Dünkelberg had the last remaining coal mined in the 1920s. After the closure of the operation, this tunnel remained undiscovered for a long time. Learn interesting facts about industrial development, working conditions underground, infrastructure and innovations of the past. During the final walk through the quarry, you will explore the geology of this special place.
Guided tours above ground
The above-ground tours provide insights into the diverse history of the colliery in the permanent exhibitions and on the museum grounds.
The above-ground tours are also suitable for wheelchair users and people with walking disabilities.
From coal mine to brickworks
Guided tour of the permanent exhibition and museum grounds
Duration: 1 hour
Participants: maximum 20
Cost: 45 Euro plus admission
Two farmers applied for permission to mine coal in Hettberger Holtz at the beginning of the 18th century – that's how far back the history of the Nachtigall colliery goes. On our tour, we take you on a journey through three centuries during which the region underwent constant change.
The journey takes us from the beginnings of mining to innovative civil engineering. What was life like for the miners and their families? What were the consequences of mining the ‘black gold’? How did the coal reach its customers? When the mine ceased production at the end of the 19th century, a new chapter in industrial history began. A brickworks and a quarry settled on the site. In the impressive vault of the ring kiln, you will learn exciting facts about brick production and the hard work involved in manufacturing bricks during the tour.
Experience the different facets of the industrial age that shaped the region and its inhabitants, both socially, technically and ecologically. An exciting journey through time and space.
The path into the depths
Guided tour of the exhibition rooms on the theme of ‘Zeche Nachtigall’ (Nachtigall Colliery)
Duration: 1 hour
Participants: maximum 20
Cost: 45 Euro plus admission
‘Der Weg in die Tiefe’ (The Way Down) takes you back to the time of the first deep mining shafts in the Ruhr region. Miners had to overcome many challenges before they could extract coal far below the earth’s surface. What was necessary to get to the ‘black gold’? How was hard rock traversed and water tamed? How did light and air reach the depths? Meet miners and mine owners from the Ruhr region in the exhibition and immerse yourself in the exciting history of the Nachtigall colliery.
Guided tours through nature
The offers are aimed at adults and children aged ten and above. Sturdy footwear and weatherproof clothing are recommended for the tours.
Naturally nightingale
Duration: 1.5 hours
Participants: maximum 20
Cost: 45 Euro plus admission
Experience the full diversity of animal and plant species that have adapted to the ecological conditions of the former colliery and brickworks site on our nature tours.
Learn which wild herbs grow on the industrial wasteland, what beneficial properties they have for humans and animals, and how they adapt to climatic conditions. Get to know the different trees in our region and learn interesting facts about their value for the environment and health. Join us in observing animals in their different habitats: reptiles on old walls and in the quarry, insects on the wild meadow, birds on roofs and in the colliery woods, or amphibians in the water basin of the coal ship.
Night safari
Evening tour of the Nachtigall colliery site
Duration: 1.5 hours
Participants: maximum 20
Cost: 45 Euro plus admission
Nature has reclaimed the area where coal was once mined. Many species of animals and plants feel at home on the Nachtigall colliery site. However, some of them only become active after sunset. An evening tour therefore offers many exciting discoveries: bats and other nocturnal animals, wild plants, mysterious tracks and sounds. As darkness falls and the museum doors close, you will have the opportunity to experience the ecosystem of this industrial wasteland from a very special perspective and make some interesting observations.
Along the way, you will learn interesting facts about the industrial history and mining technology of the old industrial site. Sturdy shoes and a torch are recommended.
The tour is also suitable for blind and visually impaired people, wheelchair users and people with walking disabilities.
Coal era
Excursion to Muttental
Short tour: 2.5 hours, cost: 65 Euro
Long tour: 4 hours, cost: 125 Euro
Participants: maximum 30
Follow the trail of coal from its formation 300 million years ago to the present day. How has the Ruhr Valley changed over time? The mining and transport of coal and other mineral resources by humans has left its mark on the landscape. How did the flora and fauna react to the constantly changing habitat?
Learn exciting facts about the region's geological history at the Ruhr Area Geopark Information Centre. Afterwards, we will show you how the Ruhr region has undergone constant change over the centuries. We will guide you through the Nachtigallstollen tunnel to Muttental and back to the Ruhr. The journey takes you from the roots of the coal era to questions about the future.