Emilianus - Stollen

The Emilianus-Stollen is a Roman copper mine in the St Barbara district of Wallerfangen, Saarland, Germany, active during the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. Romans extracted azurite to produce the pigment known as Wallerfanger Blue. The ancient tunnel contains a carved stone inscription that represents the only direct evidence of Roman underground mining in Central Europe. Systematic excavations began in 1964, and the Bochum Mining Museum completed further work in 1976, converting the site into a visitor mine. Multiple mining shafts have been documented, with a third still under exploration.