On 4 September 2026, staff from the IfG set out to follow the trail of water, exploring the Rammelsberg visitor mine in Goslar.
The special guided tour through the mine – which is over 1,000 years old and located in what was once Europe’s most important non-ferrous metal deposit – followed the path of the water from the Herzberg pond through the Röderstolln tunnel, designed by Oberbergmeister Johann Christoph Röder, right into the mine. The water-powered system, introduced at the end of the 18th century, was used to transport personnel and materials and to control the water levels in the mine workings, and is regarded as one of the world’s most advanced pre-industrial systems of its kind. Until the mine was electrified from 1906 onwards, the ingenious network of adits and shafts provided the energy needed to modernise ore extraction at Rammelsberg.
 Entrance to Roeder-Stolln tunnel. |
 The inlet weir for the first Kehrrad. |
 down the stairs rather than via the Kunstrad. |
For the IfG staff, this provided an interesting insight into the benefits of water in mining – an element they otherwise often encounter as an adversary in their day-to-day work.
 Vibrant vitriol was evident on the tunnel walls. |
 On the cable and rod section at the Serenissimorum. |
 Artistic plays of colour on the lighting. |
The mine tour concluded with a ‘Tscherper’ meal in the visitor centre’s cafeteria, named after the traditional pocket knife used by miners in the Ore Mountains and the Upper Harz.
Afterwards, some of the staff set off on a walk up the Rammelsberg. Following the paths through the boulder fields and past the Maltermeister Tower, the walk led to the Ramseck, where there was a wonderful view of Goslar and the northern foothills of the Harz Mountains.
 View of Goslar from the Blockschutthalde. |
 At the summit of the Ramseck, everyone had earned a rest. |
Reunited, the staff rounded off this memorable day with a dinner together in the heart of Goslar’s old town.