Mines of Rammelsberg, Historic Town of Goslar and Upper Harz Water Management System

This World Heritage property combines the Rammelsberg ore mine, the historic town of Goslar and the Upper Harz water management system in central Germany, together illustrating mining and metallurgical activity and associated landscapes developed over many centuries. The ensemble documents the technological and social systems that supported large-scale ore production in the Harz region.

At Rammelsberg visitors encounter preserved underground workings, surface processing buildings and exhibitions that explain medieval to modern mining methods. Goslar presents a well-preserved medieval town centre with civic and residential fabric and the Imperial Palace. The Upper Harz Water Management System comprises dams, reservoirs, channels and wooden waterwheels that provided regulated water power for mines and mills across the Harz.

Mining at Rammelsberg is documented from the early medieval period through to the 20th century, and the town of Goslar developed as an imperial and mining centre in the medieval period. The water management network was progressively built and adapted from the early modern period to sustain mining operations and illustrates long-term engineering for industrial use.

The components lie in the Harz mountains of Lower Saxony. Rammelsberg sits adjacent to the town of Goslar, while the water management system extends across upland catchments in the Upper Harz, linking ponds, ditches and historic mining districts.

• Rammelsberg closure and interpretation: Rammelsberg mine was mined continuously for about a thousand years and closed in 1988, with on-site interpretation for visitors
• Goslar landmark: the Imperial Palace (Kaiserpfalz) in Goslar is a prominent medieval imperial residence within the town core

What to See #

• Rammelsberg Mine: A historic ore mine with preserved underground galleries, surface processing works and a museum documenting over a millennium of extraction and technology; mining at Rammelsberg continued until 1988.
• Historic Town of Goslar: A largely intact medieval town centre with timber-framed and stone buildings and the 11th-century Imperial Palace (Kaiserpfalz) that served as a royal residence and administrative centre.
• Upper Harz Water Management System: An extensive pre-industrial hydraulic network of dams, reservoirs, channels, leats and waterwheels developed to supply power and water for mining and ore processing across the Upper Harz mountains.