Bergmannsfest Lehesten

Black Gold — The Lehesten Slate Tradition

Lehesten is a small town with just under 1,800 inhabitants in the south of Thuringia, in the Saalfeld-Rudolstadt district, on the Rennsteig. For centuries, the town was known for its slate mining — the "black gold" that was extracted, split, and processed into roofing slate here. The quarries, slate mills, and the miners' tradition shaped the townscape well into the 20th century. Today, the "Historic Slate Mining Lehesten" technical monument is a geopark and museum that showcases this past. The Bergmannsfest combines this tradition with a folk festival (Volksfest) atmosphere.

Festival Parade in Miners' Regalia

The highlight of the festival is the traditional parade, in which Lehesten miners march through the town in historical regalia — mining jackets, pickaxe and hammer, miner's hat. The parade preserves a tradition that evolved from the miners' shift-change customs. Lehesten has its own miners' orchestra that musically accompanies the parade, along with fife and drum corps and club delegations from the region.

Slate Extraction Demonstrations

Traditional slate extraction and processing techniques are demonstrated on the festival grounds. You can see how slate blocks are split, how roofing slate is made from the rough slabs — a craft tradition that has almost been lost in the 21st century. In addition, neighboring craftspeople (blacksmith, woodturner, basket weaver from Wurzbach, glassblower from Lauscha) present their skills — the Lehesten guild market (Zunftmarkt) was a fixed part of the program in the past and is continued today.

Folk Festival and Festival Grounds

In parallel, the actual folk festival (Volksfest) takes place on the festival grounds with carousels, amusement rides, a festival tent, and a stage program. Regional bands alternate on the festival tent stage — Schlager, cover bands, folk music. Children's programs and small concerts take place in the Lunapark. Lehesten and the Slate Land Geopark are also an attractive travel destination outside of the Bergmannsfest — the Rennsteig, Thuringia's most famous hiking trail, runs directly above the town.