Hundreds of years ago, miners near Saalfeld began their search for gold, silver and other treasures - but instead , they discovered black alum shale. After a long period of inactivity, nature transformed the remaining caves into a colourful underground world, which over time became the Feengrotten.

Our guided tours reveal many interesting facts about the mine’s history and the lives of the miners who worked here.

Let your senses be stimulated in the interactive Grottoneum museum. You can read, learn, listen, touch and taste at numerous information points. Discover how light was brought into the mine, watch stalactites grow or help to fit coloured minerals together into a puzzle. In the grotto cinema, experience how the caves at the Feengrotten were created 440 million years ago.