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We parked in the Otto-Hellinghausen-Platz (Kirmesplatz) car park on the corner of "Im Hüttenwald"/Brückenstraße in 57555 Mudersbach. From here, the slate mine can be easily reached on foot in 5 minutes.

The route there isn't the best, but the rest area at the slate tunnel entrance is really great.

Quiet and beautiful place!

The slate tunnel is part of the slate-ore-iron path, the easy-to-drive path leads directly along the Sieg

Visitor mine SGV slate tunnel "Wilhelmslust" "Slate is a product of nature and was formed in Siegerland, especially in the Devonian period 350 to 400 million years ago, through deposits of fine-grained clay mud masses, which solidified into clay stone under the pressure of the deposit. Later mountain formation caused the clay stone layers to unfold due to lateral pressure . During these tectonic processes, the clayey rocks shattered. This gave the original claystone a new structural element: cleavage. Historically, the quarrying of slate can be traced back to the Middle Ages. The oldest surviving concession to quarry slate dates back to 1717 In the early years, slate was mined in open pits, with underground mining only going on after 1850. The heyday of the roofing slate industry came in 1860 with a ministerial decree stating that roofs could no longer be thatched mines and tunnels where miners earned their daily bread. For three centuries, slate was a sought-after building material far beyond the borders of Germany. The Wilhelmslust slate tunnel was hewn by a master roofer from Mudersbach in 1856 after obtaining permission from the Forest of Interest. The length is approx. 80 m with two large mining halls. The miners opened up the tunnel by hand, armed only with a hammer and chisel, and brought the valuable slate to light. About 10% to 20% of the rock mass moved was useful material as the end product. The surrounding rock was used to build paths and quarry stone walls. Some stalactites and stalagmites have formed in the corridor. The air in the tunnel is clear and pure. The temperature is around 8ºC and the humidity is a comfortable 90%. In the years 2004 to 2006, the Sauerland Mountain Club Dept. Siegtal-Mudersbach e. V. (SGV) prepared the tunnel for visits." https://www.tourenplaner-rheinland-pfalz.de/de/punkt/bergwerk/besucherbergwerk-schieferstollen-wilhelmslust/42129335/

A nice place to pause and switch off for a moment...

Fits to the history of the Westerwald and Siegerland

One of the most beautiful Marian grottoes in the region. The Sieg adventure trail "Erzquellweg" also leads along here. Just follow and drive up to the Giebelberg :)