Historic Silver Mine in Tarnowskie Góry

Tarnowskie Góry silver mine

The Historic Silver Mine, Polish: Zabytkowa Kopalnia Srebra is a mining museum in Tarnowskie Góry, in Silesia in Poland. The mine and the neighbouring Black Trout Adit are remnants of a silver mining industry. The museum is an Anchor point on the European Route of Industrial Heritage.^[1] It also joins Szlak Zabytków Techniki , TICCIH, Silesian Tourist Organization.

History

The region of Tarnowskie Góry is known for historic lead-ore mining. The lead-ores contain quite a big admixture of silver. That's why beginning from 1526 when the new deposits of lead (mostly galena) were found, the settle started to grow quickly. In 1526, Duke of Opole John II granted the community the status of an independent mining town. The name of the town Tarnowskie Góry has a mining genesis. The first part "Tarnowskie" comes from the name of village "Tarnowice" where deposits of lead enriched by silver were found. Currently, Tarnowice (actually Stare Tarnowice) is a district of Tarnowskie Góry. The second part of the name "Góry" means "mountains". It comes from the elevation around numerous shafts dug for silver. Mining industry had to wrestle with the problem of water flooding workings. To prevent it in 1788 the first steam engine was brought from England by Fryderyk Wilhelm Hrabia von Reden. The other way to drain workings was digging adits which piped the water using the difference of level. There were 8 adits in Tarnowskie Góry. A 600-meter-part of one of them is available for tourists–Black Trout Adit. The lead-ore mining in Tarnowskie Góry stopped in 1912 because of resource shortage. However, a huge amount of past mining traces is left, both underground and overground.

Museum

The mining industry ceased in 1912, leaving underground 150 km of adits and galleries. The Black Trout Adit, part of the Deep Adit Fryderyk, was the first to be exploited for tourism. In 1957, it was opened as a 600 metre long boat tour. The Historic silver mine opened in 1976. The visit in Historic Silver Mines starts in a interactive museum where tourists get the knowledge of methods of silver, lead and zinc ore extraction as well as underground mine drainage. Then tourists go underground. The trail is 1,749 meters long; 270 meters are travelled by boats.^[1]

Outside the buildings of Historic Silver Mine there is an Open Air Steam Engine Museum. The new attraction of the museum is a small narrow-gauge railway line which gives children unforgettable memories.^[2]

More information is available on the website www.kopalniasrebra.pl/en/

References

Notes

Footnotes

External links

• Historic Silver Mine Website

Coordinates: 50°25′31″N 18°50′42″E / 50.4254°N 18.8451°E / 50.4254; 18.8451

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European Route of Industrial Heritage
Anchor sites	Augsburg textile and industry museum August Horch Museum Zwickau Beringen coal preparation plant Big Pit National Coal Museum Blaenavon Ironworks Bocholt textile museum Bois du Cazier Calais lace museum Chatham Historic Dockyard Brick Works De Panoven Continium Derwent Valley Mills Espace Métal, Grossouvre Gasometer Oberhausen Geevor Tin Mine Guido mine Heartlands, Redruth Heineken Experience Hendrich's Drop Forge, Solingen Historical Technical Museum, Peenemünde Jewellery Quarter Kelham Island Museum Lion Salt Works London Museum of Water & Steam Manufaktura, Museum of the Factory Medemblik steam museum Merkers Adventure Mines Důl Michal, Ostrava mNACTEC Terrassa Museum over industrie, arbeid en textiel Nordwolle Museum Nord, Narvik Norks Teknisk Museum Parys Mountain Carreau Wendel musée de mineurs Prato textile museum Rammelsberg Rhondda Heritage Park Saltaire Historic Silver Mine in Tarnowskie Góry Tyskie brewing museum Tyssedal Hydroelectric Power Station TwentseWelle Verdant Works Völklingen Ironworks Waltham Abbey Royal Gunpowder Mills Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex
Former Anchor sites	Beringen coal preparation plant MOSI