National Mining Museum, Luxembourg
Encyclopedia
The National Mining Museum of Luxembourg
is located in the very south of the country, at Rumelange
close to the French border. It provides an on-site exhibition of the tools, machinery and equipment
used from the beginning of the 19th century until the iron-ore mines were closed in the 1980s. Many of the exhibits are deep down in the mine which can be visited during the summer months.
The Kirchberg and Walert mine is accessed by train. The rail terminal, 90 metres below the surface, is the start of a 650-metre circuit through tunnels three metres high and from three to five metres wide. Many of the tools are of considerable historical value. The collection includes rare old boring hammer
s and drilling machine
s as well as more modern pneumatic drills. The complex array of tunnels also gives an impressive picture of the mine workings.
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
is located in the very south of the country, at Rumelange
Rumelange
Rumelange is a commune with city status in south-western Luxembourg, on the border with France., the town of Rumelange, which lies in the east of the commune, has a population of 4,818. It is also the site of some of the underground iron mines no longer in operation...
close to the French border. It provides an on-site exhibition of the tools, machinery and equipment
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
used from the beginning of the 19th century until the iron-ore mines were closed in the 1980s. Many of the exhibits are deep down in the mine which can be visited during the summer months.
The collection
While most of the museum's collection is in the mine, the exhibition hall contains a number of display cases with a selection of lamps, tools, helmets and measuring instruments as well as minerals and fossils. There are also old maps and documents.The Kirchberg and Walert mine is accessed by train. The rail terminal, 90 metres below the surface, is the start of a 650-metre circuit through tunnels three metres high and from three to five metres wide. Many of the tools are of considerable historical value. The collection includes rare old boring hammer
Boring (earth)
Boring is drilling a hole, tunnel, or well in the earth.-Earth boring:Boring is used for a wide variety of applications in geology, agriculture, hydrology, civil engineering, and oil and natural gas industries...
s and drilling machine
Drilling rig
A drilling rig is a machine which creates holes or shafts in the ground. Drilling rigs can be massive structures housing equipment used to drill water wells, oil wells, or natural gas extraction wells, or they can be small enough to be moved manually by one person...
s as well as more modern pneumatic drills. The complex array of tunnels also gives an impressive picture of the mine workings.