Active show mines in the former Bad Bleiberg lead workings, comprising Terra Mystica and Terra Montana, set within the historic Antonischacht and Max-Schacht tunnels.
The Schaubergwerke Terra Mystica & Montana at Bad Bleiberg are two visitor mines established within the abandoned stollen network of the former Bleiberger lead and zinc mine following its closure in 1993. Located at the Antonischacht, approximately 2.5 kilometres west of the Rudolfschacht, the site draws on over 1,300 kilometres of tunnels cut through the Bleiberger Erzberg over seven centuries of extraction. The original "Terra Mystica" show mine opened at the Rudolfschacht in 1989 but closed in 1994 when the active mine ceased operations.
Municipal authority resolved to rebuild and relocate it to the Antonischacht; the new installation opened on 28 July 1995 and was leased to the private operator TMB Terra Mystica Betriebsges.m.b.H. & Co KG. Construction of a second, separate show mine — Terra Montana — began in 2002 in the area of the Max-Schacht, opening on 29 May 2005. The combined installation now offers two distinct underground routes linked by a mine railway, a 68-metre miners' slide, and a 49-metre shaft lift, and remains one of the leading tourist attractions in Carinthia.
Lead and zinc ore was extracted from the Bleiberger Erzberg at Bad Bleiberg in the Gailtal valley of Carinthia from at least the early fourteenth century, with documentary evidence from 1333 and archaeological indicators of activity from Celtic and Roman times. The Bleiberger Bergwerks Union (BBU), founded in 1867, consolidated the entire Kärntner lead-mining industry under one corporate operator by 1902, and continued extraction until 1 October 1993, when falling commodity prices, the economic disruption following the fall of the Iron Curtain, and partial exhaustion of the ore body brought the mine to final closure. By that date the underground tunnel network at Bad Bleiberg extended to approximately 1,300 kilometres, and the deepest workings had reached 850 metres below the surface.
The first visitor use of the underground workings began while the mine was still partially active. A show mine designated "Terra Mystica" was opened at the Kronprinz-Rudolf-Schachtanlage (Rudolfschacht) on 15 August 1989, operated by the BBT – Tourismus Ges.m.b.H. established jointly by the BBU and the Dreiländereck regional body. It closed on 1 November 1994, one year after the final cessation of ore extraction, when the necessary underground infrastructure could no longer be maintained. The municipal council of Bad Bleiberg resolved to relocate the show mine to the Antonischacht, situated 2.5 kilometres to the west of the Rudolfschacht. Tunnel usage rights were transferred from the BBU in liquidation to the municipal enterprise BBK – Bad Bleiberger Kommunalbetriebsges.m.b.H., with financial support from the Land Kärnten and the Republic of Austria. The rebuilt "Terra Mystica – Die Wunderwelt im Berg" was constructed at the Antonischacht, incorporating the outdoor rock playground known as "Perschazeche". The new installation opened on 28 July 1995 and was immediately leased to the private operator TMB Terra Mystica Betriebsges.m.b.H. & Co KG.
The Terra Mystica offers a 600-metre on-foot route through seven themed underground chambers — Zechen — presenting multimedia shows on subjects including the formation of the earth, underworld mythology, and the life of Paracelsus. Entry to the underground level is via a 68-metre miners' slide, described as the longest such slide in Europe. A mine railway ride of approximately 2 kilometres connects Terra Mystica to the second show mine. Original artefacts within Terra Mystica include a waterwheel dating from 1831.
Construction of a second independent visitor mine — Terra Montana — began in 2002 in the area of the historic Max-Schacht workings. Terra Montana was designed to present the working history of the mine in documentary rather than theatrical form, with 14 stations across a 700-metre underground circuit illustrating mining methods from manual extraction to modern mechanised techniques, using original and functional mining equipment. Terra Montana was completed and formally opened on 29 May 2005. The exit from both show mines is via a 49-metre shaft lift.
The combined installation also includes the Montanmuseum, presenting 700 years of mining history, and the Terra Humoristika, a collection of humorous ceramic figures with mining themes; both are included in the admission price. The underground temperature throughout the tunnel system is a constant 8 to 9 degrees Celsius. The Schaubergwerke Terra Mystica & Montana are open from May to October daily and during winter on Saturdays, with group tours by appointment year-round. The site is registered with ERIH, the European Route of Industrial Heritage.