Mansfeld Mining Railway

The Mansfeld mining railway began operating on 15 November 1880 and initially ran on a five-kilometre section between Hettstedt and Welfesholz. It quickly developed into the most important means of transport in the Mansfeld mining area. By 1924, the rail network had been extended to a total of 95 kilometres.
With a gauge of 750 millimetres, the Mansfeld mining railway is one of the so-called narrow-gauge railways. For around 110 years, it was used to transport copper slate, coal, metallurgical coke, building materials and miners.
Today, the steam and diesel locomotive trains still carry passengers as a museum railway operated by the Mansfelder Bergwerksbahn e. V. (Mansfeld Mining Railway Association). Interested visitors can explore the hilly landscape of the former mining district in the Mansfelder Mulde on an eleven-kilometre route between Benndorf and Hettstedt on Germany's oldest operational narrow-gauge railway. The almost 40-minute journey is covered in historic passenger coaches built between 1901 and 1926 as well as 1951.