Deutsches Bergbau-Museum Bochum – Leibniz-Forschungsmuseum für Georessourcen

Leibniz Research Museum for Georesources

The German Mining Museum Bochum (DBM), founded in 1930, is a research museum of the Leibniz Association and at the same time a research institute for mining archaeology and archaeometry as well as a documentation centre and archive in the field of iron and steel history. It collects, preserves, researches, exhibits and communicates the material heritage of mining above and below ground. On around 12,000 m² of above-ground exhibition space, four tours of the permanent exhibition present the themes of hard coal, mining, mineral resources and art. Beneath the museum grounds, a faithful replica demonstration mine with approx. 2.5 km of tunnels (of which 1.2 km are publicly accessible), including a mine haulage simulator, opens up the world of mining. The research areas include archaeometallurgy, mining history, materials science, mining archaeology, the research laboratory and the Mining History Documentation Centre (montan.dok). The museum is part of the Route of Industrial Heritage; its sponsors are the DMT-Gesellschaft für Lehre und Bildung mbH and the City of Bochum.

Site

Bochum

Processes

Permanent exhibition with four tours (hard coal, mining, mineral resources, art), Demonstration mine with mine haulage simulator, Tower ride on the headframe, Guided tours and workshops, Special exhibitions, Museum shop, Restaurant KUMPELS, Research: archaeometallurgy, mining history, materials science, mining archaeology, research

Materials

Archaeometallurgy, Mining History, Materials Science, Mining Archaeology, Research Laboratory, Mining History Documentation Centre (montan.dok)

Founded

1930

Employees

approx. 190 (2021)

Industries

Museum/Culture, Research (mining archaeology, archaeometry, mining history)

1. 01

   Collecting and preserving the material heritage of mining

2. 02

   Research (archaeometallurgy, mining history, materials science)

3. 03

   Documentation and archive (montan.dok)

4. 04

   Exhibition and communication (permanent exhibition, special exhibitions, guided

Research and Communication Areas

Site

History

1. 1860er

   The Westphalian Mining Association (Berggewerkschaftskasse) establishes a permanent exhibition of mining utensils in Bochum

2. 1930

   Founding contract for the Historical Museum of Mining between the City of Bochum and the Westphalian Mining Association on 1 April

3. 1935

   New construction of the museum building according to designs by Fritz Schupp and Heinrich Holzapfel

4. 1937

   Start of shaft sinking work for the demonstration mine

5. 1943

   Destruction of the museum buildings by air raids; demonstration mine converted into an air-raid shelter

6. 1946

   Reopening with a small exhibition

7. 1960

   Tunnels of the demonstration mine extended to 2,510 metres

8. 1973/74

   Transfer of the headframe of the Germania colliery to Bochum; establishment of the mining archaeology department by Gerd Weisgerber

9. 1976

   Renaming to German Mining Museum Bochum (DBM)

10. 1977

    Recognition as a research museum by the BLK; admission to the joint research funding of the Federal Government and the Länder (Blue List)

11. 2009

    Opening of the extension building "Black Diamond" on 6 December

12. 2010

    Largest of the five visitor centres in the European Capital of Culture year RUHR.2010

13. 2016–2019

    Renovation and remodelling; reopening of the redesigned museum in July 2019

14. 2022

    Sunhild Kleingärtner becomes Scientific Director