Decades after its closure a new chapter began. The LWL-Industriemuseum Zeche Nachtigall is now a window into the past. It stands as a testament to the region’s industrial heritage. This museum is not just a collection of artifacts. It is a journey through time.
The LWL-Industriemuseum Zeche Nachtigall is located on the old factory site of the Nachtigall mine. The address is Nachtigallstrasse 35-37 in Witten-Bommern. It is a key point on the Route of Industrial Culture. It also serves as an information center for the Ruhr Geopark.
After the Nachtigall mine closed in 1892 Wilhelm Dünkelberg built a brick factory on the site. The town of Witten acquired the site and remaining surface facilities in 1964 after the brick factory closed. The Westphalian Industrial Museum took over the buildings of the former mine in 1982.
The former washing facilities an administration building the outer walls of the machine house and a square brick chimney were still standing. The LWL-Industriemuseum also took over the Vereinigte Nachtigall small mine and the old brick factory. All remaining buildings were listed as historical monuments in 1991. The buildings were then restored. The Nachtigallstollen tunnel which connects the factory site to the quarry on the south side was renovated. The transverse tunnel was opened for tours that same year.
The LWL-Industriemuseum Zeche Nachtigall opened in May 2003. Since then the former mine has been used as a visitor mine. After the museum opened the winding engine house and workshop building were used as exhibition rooms. The winding engine house once housed the winding engine for the Hercules shaft. Today the winding engine house contains a 19th-century steam winding engine. The winding engine came from the Franz Haniel mine in Bottrop.
Several exhibitions on the museum grounds and in the buildings detail the development of coal mining in the Ruhr valley and coal shipping on the Ruhr river. A small mine has been reconstructed on the grounds. A ring furnace from the former Dünkelberg brick factory is another part of the exhibition. The headframe of the Hercules shaft was uncovered during the restoration of this furnace. It has since served as an exhibit in the museum. The permanent exhibition “The Path into the Depths” is also housed in the former brick factory complex.
One highlight of visiting the Zeche Nachtigall is a tour through the Nachtigallstollen visitor mine. Equipped with helmets visitors push forward into a genuine coal seam in the low passages. The permanent exhibition “Zeche Eimerweise” shows small-scale mining in the Ruhr valley after 1945 with the faithfully reconstructed “Ingeborg” mine. The history of shipbuilding and coal shipping on the Ruhr comes to life aboard a reconstructed Ruhrnachen of original size.
The LWL-Industriemuseum Zeche Nachtigall and the Nachtigall visitor mine have also served as a backdrop for various film shoots. For example several WDR television documentaries were produced here as well as part of the Frida Gold band’s application video for the Bundesvision Song Contest and parts of the underground shots from the Junges Licht cinema production.
The LWL-Industriemuseum Zeche Nachtigall preserves explores and communicates the culture of the industrial age from its beginnings to the present. The museum offers tailored programs for many target groups. It works closely with educational partners and offers continuing education for teachers. This is a place where history comes alive.