Sondiergrube

Sondiergrube is a former underground ore mine located near the town of Rütoch in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. The mine was established in the late 19th century, primarily to extract iron ore, manganese, and later minor deposits of copper. The name “Sondiergrube” derives from the German word *Sondieren*, meaning to probe or test, which reflects the original purpose of the shaft as a test pit for evaluating the mineral strata of the surrounding area.

Operations at the Sondiergrube began in 1888 and continued in an intermittent fashion until the early 1930s. The site was equipped with a vertical shaft that reached a working depth of approximately 120 meters. The mine employed both manual labor and the then-innovative electric drilling technology, which was considered advanced for the region at that time. Production peaked during the First World War when demand for iron and strategic metals increased.

After the decline of mineral extraction in the region, the Sondiergrube was shuttered in 1935. In the decades that followed, the abandoned mine attracted both historians and speleologists, who studied its geological formations and the preservation of early 20th‑century mining equipment. The site has since been protected as a cultural heritage location, and guided tours are occasionally offered to the public under the auspices of the local historical society.

Today the Sondiergrube serves as an educational resource for students of geology and industrial history, illustrating the development of mining technology in rural Germany and the socio-economic impact of mineral extraction on local communities.