People, Mining and Museum
The permanent exhibition in the historic administration building tells the story of the Zollern colliery against the backdrop of technical, economic and political developments.
The exhibition spans the period from the construction of the ‘model colliery’ opened in 1902 to the history of its operation, topics such as war and forced labour, and its conversion into an industrial museum. Among the outstanding exhibits are parts of a historic model of the Zollern colliery with its machine hall, shaft hall and winding tower, which was made for the 1905 World's Fair in Liège.
Throughout the exhibition, visitors encounter photographs and interviews with people who worked at the Zollern colliery over the past 100 years and helped shape the fortunes of the business – whether as directors, miners, haulers or forced labourers during the war years. The upper floor features an impressive display of 400 personnel cards belonging to named forced labourers at Zollern.
The historic administration building is fully accessible on both floors as a ‘walk-in monument’. During the renovation and redesign, the former use of the building, which housed offices as well as the washrooms for the foremen, was to remain visible. Thus, there are paint residues on the walls, tiled walls, shower heads and washbasins. The magnificent reception hall now shines again in its original colours.
Two-sense principle
With a floor guidance system, tactile lettering and objects, numerous audio stations and wheelchair-accessible display cases, the permanent exhibition is designed to be inclusive for visually impaired and mobility-impaired visitors.