Klosterstollen Barsinghausen, Former coal mine and show mine in Barsinghausen, Germany

Klosterstollen is a former coal mine whose adit, driven from 1856, runs about 1,380 metres into the Deister hillside at a slight incline. Visitors ride a 600 mm narrow-gauge mine railway with battery locomotives about 1.38 km underground, where tools and equipment for driving galleries and winning coal are demonstrated. Above ground, the site retains the 750 m² Zechensaal of 1898 and a washhouse with miners' clothing and gear.

Mining operations started in 1856 and continued until 1921, after which the site served as a ventilation system for other workings until 1957. This extended use demonstrates how important coal extraction was to the region for over a hundred years.

The mine's name comes from the Klosterkammer Hannover, which owned the land where the adit was driven from 1856. Tours show the 750 m² Zechensaal of 1898, still used for events, and a washhouse (Waschkaue) with the clothing and equipment miners once wore. Around 30 volunteer guides take turns leading visits.

Visitors receive protective clothing, helmets, and battery-powered lamps before entering the tunnels. The tour lasts about two hours and involves walking through underground passages, so comfortable shoes and a moderate fitness level are recommended.

The Wetterschacht Schnepfenflucht, a 74-metre-deep ventilation shaft, lies about 1,310 metres from the adit entrance and 15 metres beside the tunnel. Until 1897 a Wetterofen (ventilation furnace) burned here, as at the three other ventilation shafts, to drive air through the Klosterstollen. When a steam-powered fan took over at another shaft, the furnaces were dismantled and this shaft was forgotten. It now serves as an emergency exit, fitted in 2012 with a frame and pulley.