Rischbach Tunnel

“Lights on! Let’s go in!” That’s what you hear when you visit the Rischbach Tunnel in St. Ingbert. Fully geared up with a helmet, lamp, and miner’s jacket with gold buttons, the exploration tour begins through the abandoned mining complex in the so-called “Waschkaue.” This is where miners used to wash off the black dust from their hard work before heading home. The mine guides at the Rischbachstollen used to be miners themselves and can share quite a few stories from the “inside.” Berti is one such former miner who started working in the mine at just 15 years old and spent 40 years digging for black gold. One of his stories is about the “bucket major,” a coveted job underground, since he was responsible for emptying the toilet buckets and could take quite a few breaks underground. You’ll experience firsthand just how loud some of the machines were underground, such as the various compressed-air-powered jackhammers. Here, you can also try your hand at it and really let yourself get shaken up. As they walk through the “Hauptstreb”—which once served as a transport tunnel for coal cars—amateur miners learn fascinating facts about daily life in the mines. A small niche featuring the patron saint of miners, Saint Barbara, has even been carved into the red sandstone in the tunnel. Near the end of the tunnel stands what is arguably the highlight of the Rischbach Tunnel: a yellow battery-powered locomotive with two small transport cars. Now it’s time to hop on and ride out of the tunnel with a pleasant rumbling and creaking. An “amateur miner” is even allowed to take a seat in the yellow locomotive and operate the throttle. It makes you feel just like Jim Knopf, the little locomotive driver in Lummerland!