Mansfeld Mining Railway

The Mansfeld Mining Railway is a narrow gauge railway line about 11 kilometers long that connects several former mining sites in Saxony-Anhalt. It uses specially designed tracks for smaller trains and enables journeys between multiple stations from Hettstedt to Klostermansfeld.

The railway began operating in 1885 and grew quickly to support copper mining in the region, connecting multiple mines and processing facilities to one another. It played a key role in transporting ore and workers during the heyday of the Mansfeld mining region.

The railway shows how workers and materials moved between mines for generations, and its tracks still run through landscapes shaped by this mining activity. Visitors can travel the route on heritage trains and experience the places where extraction once happened.

The railway is accessible from several stations and offers regular heritage train services on weekends. Visitors should check operating days in advance, as service does not run daily.

The railway was distinctive in German railroad history: in 1965 one of the country's first locomotives adapted to run on heavy fuel oil went into service here. This machine represented an innovative attempt to make older equipment more economical.