Kohnstein

Kohnstein is a hill and former mining area near Nordhausen in Thuringia, Germany, notable for hosting an extensive underground factory complex during World War II. It is best known for its association with the Mittelwerk production and the nearby Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp system.

The site contains remains of an underground tunnel and production complex that visitors study for its wartime engineering and human history. Immediate points of interest include the tunnel entrances and surface evidence of mining activity, together with interpretive exhibits at the memorial near the former camp.

The underground workings were adapted and expanded in 1943 and 1944 to serve as an assembly and production site for German V-weapons. Prisoners from the Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp were used as forced labor in the tunnels; the complex ceased wartime production in 1945 and was later the subject of memorial and historical work.

Kohnstein sits on the northern edge of the Harz region near the town of Nordhausen in northern Thuringia. The area consists of former mine workings and wooded slopes typical of the southern Harz foothills.

• Mittelwerk history: The underground facility was used for the assembly and production of V-weapons between 1943 and 1945 and was supplied with forced labor from the nearby Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp.
• Visiting: Guided visits and museum exhibitions at the nearby memorial site explain the site�s wartime role and the camp system; parts of the tunnel complex are closed to the public for safety.

What to See #

• Mittelwerk tunnels: An extensive underground tunnel system originally adapted from existing mine workings and expanded during World War II to house the Mittelwerk production halls and assembly areas.
• Mittelbau-Dora Memorial: A memorial and museum complex located near the former concentration camp that interprets the camp system, the forced labor used in the underground works, and the history of V-weapon production.