Barrierefreiheit
Accessibility
Samson is there for everyone!
The Samson Pit is a mine that is over 500 years old and is part of the UNESCO world heritage. Due to this high monument protection status, the historical facilities cannot be designed to be completely barrier-free.
However, the majority of the mine can easily be visited above ground (shaft buildings and water wheels) and can therefore also be experienced easily and excitingly for people with disabilities.
The Samson mine has several wheelchair ramps that ensure access to the shaft building, the wheel rooms and the mining museum. This makes it possible for people with walking difficulties and/or wheelchairs to visit all of the above-ground facilities with the highlights of shafts, driving skills and water wheels.
Thanks to haptic models, e.g. the art of driving, as well as the underground area with wide steps, railings on both sides of the stairs and a flat tunnel floor, people with visual impairments or blind people with an accompanying person can fully visit the Samson mine and get an impression of the mine.
As part of the restoration of the neighboring Catharina Neufang mine, the lower of the two visitor tunnels is being expanded so that people with walking difficulties and/or wheelchairs can also experience an underground experience. In addition, a bridge with a glass floor over a former, still open ore slit ensures that an impression of the depth of the mines can be gained.
People with disabilities find detailed information about visiting the Samson mine and museum here.
1. How to get here
The Samson mine is located in the mountain town of Sankt Andreasberg, at an altitude of around 600 metres above sea level. Some of the steepest roads in Germany run through Sankt Andreasberg. When travelling by public transport, wheelchair users and people with limited mobility should take the steep streets in Sankt Andreasberg into account, especially on cold and rainy days.
The nearest bus stop is Sankt Andreasberg, Schützenhaus, which is about 700 metres away. From the bus stop to the Samson mine, the route is mainly downhill.
2. Outdoor area of the Samson mine
The Samson Mine car park is located directly in front of the Mining Museum (see map).The floor covering consists of tarmac and gravel.
There is seating in the form of wooden benches directly in front of the building. There is no rain-protected area in front of the building and no waiting room inside.
The toilets for all guests are located in the toilet block on the outside grounds. A disabled toilet is available and can be accessed by entering a code (please ask for the code at Samson) or with the Euro key.
3. Guided tour
We are happy to welcome people with disabilities on our guided tours.
However, please note the following descriptions of the places in and around the Samson Mine Museum. For safety reasons, the Samson mine can only be visited as part of a public guided tour, which lasts around 60 minutes and ends in the museum.
The tour begins above ground in the shaft building, which can be reached at ground level. After about 30 minutes, we enter the wheelhouse, which is accessible via two steps. If necessary, we place mobile ramps over these. The last third of the tour takes you underground. The path leads over 88 steps into the mine and from there through a tunnel to the outside.
From there, you return to the museum via an uphill path. In the underground part of the tour, little new information is provided, so this section can be substituted by the visit to the museum.
The part of the building with the sweeper wheel and the underground area can only be reached via listed staircases. These have up to 88 steps and are equipped with banisters and handrails on both sides.
The tunnel is about 150 cm high at its lowest point.
4. Language
The guided tours are held in German. Non-German-speaking guests can download a free audio guide onto their smartphone to follow the tour in English, Danish or Dutch.
More information: www.grube-samson.de/en/events/mediaguide-1
5. Mining Museum
While the public tour continues in the underground area, people who cannot or do not wish to go underground can visit the mining museum.
The museum can also be visited during opening hours without a guided tour.At the entrance to the mining museum, there is a bell on the fence at a height of 75 cm. The mining team will help you access the museum. For wheelchair users, a mobile ramp is set up at the rear entrance to the museum in the summer months after consultation by telephone.
Unfortunately, this path is blocked when there is snow. The narrowest part of this entrance is 74 cm wide and the highest edge of the floor is 4 cm high. The exhibition rooms of the museum are laid out with PVC flooring that is easy to drive on. Mobile seating: Lightweight folding stools are located at the entrance and at the back of the museum.
More information: www.grube-samson.de/en/museums/mining-museum
6. Harzer-Roller-Canary bird museum
The Harzer-Roller-Museum is only accessible via two steep wooden staircases. Please contact us before your visit if necessary.
More information: www.grube-samson.de/en/museums/harzer-roller-museum
7. Guided tours for people with disabilities
We are happy to offer customised tours for people with disabilities. Please get in touch with us in advance to discuss your needs and our options for a visit.
We are of course available for further questions and, above all, for suggestions on how to improve the accessibility of the Samson mine! We will be happy to help you on site - just get in touch!
E-mail: info@grube-samson.de
Tel: 05582 / 1249
We are endeavouring to make the mine even more accessible for everyone as part of the renovation and conversion work. We are happy to receive concrete suggestions!
June 2024
Photographer: Jaron Nikolay Hansen - class 9a at 14.02.2024
Dogs are welcome...
...but they have to be able to behave in the eyes of the other guests.
Our four-legged friends have to overcome a challenge:
There are also wire mesh steps down in the mine, which some dogs don't want to or can't walk on. The animals then either have to be carried (small dogs) or go back (larger dogs). Everyone’s safety always comes first here.
Dogs in training (guide dogs or rescue dogs) are just as welcome as dog schools.
Please register your dog with us by calling +49 (0)5582 1249. Thank you.