Central Museum of Mining
Sopron, Templom u. 2.
The Central Museum of Mining, the largest and most comprehensive mining collection of Hungary, is outstanding among the dozens of exhibitions in Sopron. The Baroque Esterházy Palace is a worthy venue to house this valuable collection. The bulwark garden behind the Museum and its small Baroque music pavilion make an ideal resting place for the weary visitor. The exhibition was awarded the title "Museum of the Year" in 2001. There are relics of Hungarian precious metal mining, which was famed throughout Europe for many centuries. The exhibition also demonstrates the results and technical achievements of the last century. The most interesting part of the exhibition is a life-sized mineshaft from the beginning of the 20th century, which visitors can enter. They can also take a look at an ancient flint-mine reconstructed in its original size, experience the narrow shafts of medieval mines, and observe the greatest technical innovation of the last century, the hydraulic buckler, with all its internal parts and pieces. Besides the miniature working models of the machines, the valuable collection of shiny minerals is also noteworthy. During the summer, educational and feature films are shown in the cinema room. The exhibition presents the history of Hungarian mining over a thousand years, offering an unforgettable experience to Hungarian and foreign tourists, with signs in German, English and Slovakian.