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Siegen-Niederschelden

Gerhardsseifen Archaeological Site in Mudersbach/Niederschelden

Arrival Information

The visitor parking lot at the Siegen-Niederschelden sports field is best accessed from the B 62 (from the roundabout Siegerländer Brautradition) in Niederschelderhütte. Please simply follow the signage "Eisen-Zeit-Reise" to the visitor parking lot, Am Rosengarten 58, 57080 Siegen-Niederschelden!

Equipment

Sturdy footwear for the walking path up to the protective structure is recommended.

Brief description

The archaeological site of Gerhardsseifen in the so-called Dreiborntal, right at the state border of Rhineland-Palatinate to North Rhine-Westphalia, is an important landmark concerning mining activities in the region and is part of the Druiden.Hexen.SiegerLand. Exactly at this location, the remains of two Iron Age smelting furnaces were discovered and excavated in close proximity to the later medieval furnaces.

Through the 800 m long EisenZeitReiseWeg, the protective structure of the archaeological site is accessible year-round.

Detailed description

The archaeological site Gerhardsseifen is a unique testament to the bustling mining activity in the region. In just 100 m², the remains of two Iron Age smelting furnaces are located here, standing in direct proximity to the later medieval furnaces. To preserve this ensemble, which is quite typical for the Siegerland, and to make it accessible to the public, a protective structure has been built over the area.

Through large window fronts and a light and sound presentation, the steel production of the Iron Age and the High Middle Ages is made tangible for visitors of all ages here at Gerhardsseifen.

Steel was already being produced in the Siegerland over 2000 years ago. In the Iron Age (La Tène period) around 500 - 300 BC, the Celts came to this region. They exploited the iron ore that was abundantly available at the surface and therefore easily extractable, smelting it in man-high furnaces. Due to the rich iron ore deposits, a specialized production landscape developed in the Siegerland even in this early time. This consisted of hundreds of smelting and processing workshops, as well as small settlements.

In the Middle Ages, miners faced greater difficulties than the Celts. They had to uncover the visible ore veins at the surface and follow the ore deeper into the ground. Even into the 19th century, shafts and tunnels were laboriously dug by hand to extract iron ore as well as significantly more valuable non-ferrous metals such as lead, copper, zinc, and cobalt.

Contact and directions

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Am Rosengarten 58 (Parkplatz)
57080 Siegen-Niederschelden