The museum’s collections
Machines and tools. The National Mining Museum's collections consist of tools, machinery and documents in relation to iron ore mining in Luxembourg from the 1870s to the 1990s. The major part of the collection is on exhibit in the mine's underground tunnels. Shown in its original setting, the machinery bears witness to more than a century of technological evolution. Through this spectacular mode of presentation, the visitor can take full measure of the nature of the miner's work. A selection of smaller objects i.e. lamps, tools, helmets, surveying equipment, photographs and archive documents are presented in the showcases of the exhibition hall, of which several are devoted to minerals and fossils.
Objects of common use. Over the past 40 years, the museum's staff has also collected personal objects that once belonged to miners, like clothes, family souvenirs or objects of daily life. A new exhibition that is currently under preparation will make more ample use of these objects from another age.
The library. The National Mining Museum hosts a substantial collection of books, periodicals and maps related to mining.
The archives. The MNM's archives have documents coming from several private and industrial collections. Among them are most notably the complete mine plans of the ARBED-Mines company, technical archives from several mining companies, photographs a.s.o. The archives are currently being inventoried and relocated and will be open to researchers as soon as these operations are done.
The library and archive can be accessed by prior appointment by researchers, students or journalists.
Consult the index