Merkers Adventure Mines

Merkers Adventure Mines are a visitor attraction in Krayenberggemeinde in the Wartburgkreis district of Thuringia, Germany, owned and operated by K+S AG of Kassel. They lie near the village of Merkel. The mines have a long history of salt extraction, and hold the record for concealing large amounts of Nazi gold during World War II. A hundred tons of gold and many works of art presumed to be stolen were discovered by the liberating United States Army in 1945.

Erlebnisbergwerk Merkers- World of white gold

Context

The Merkers Mine drops 860m below the surface into the 'Werra-Revier' band of potash bearing salt. There, at a constant temperature of 28C, are 4600 kilometers of tunnels.[1] Visitors are lowered in the hoisting cage at over 10m/ sec (30 km/h) down to the 500m galleries. There they are driven on 20-kilometre long tour of the mine, seeing an underground mining museum, a room where in 1945 the 'Gold und Devisenreserven der Deutschen Reichbank' dubbed the Nazi gold was stored, the world's largest underground bucket-wheel excavator, simulated blasting and a laser show in the world's largest underground concert hall.[2] Also, in 1980 a crystal grotto was discovered. Here visitors see enormous salt crystals, some over 1000mm in length.[3]

The salt crystals of Merkers Mine are featured in Episode 2 of the BBC series, The Code.[4]

  • Manet's Wintergarden in safe keeping in 1945
  • The Gold Room today
  • Salt crystals in the 1980 Crystal Grotto

References
  1. "4600 Kilometer unter der Erde". Gießener Anzeiger. 2011-02-03.
  2. Thuringia Tourism
  3. Erlebnisbergwerk
  4. "BBC The Code (2011)". Retrieved 26 May 2019.


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