Historical ore mining sites in Lower Silesia (Poland) - Acta Geoturistica

Acta Geoturistica volume 4 (2013), number 1, 15-26Historical ore mining sites in Lower Silesia (Poland)as geo-tourism attractionMACIEJ MADZIARZKGHM CUPRUM RDC Ltd., Wroclaw, Poland(E-mail: mmadziarz@cuprum.wroc.pl)ABSTRACTArticle presents the possibilities of using of the remains of old ore mining traditionin the Lower Silesia as major attractions of industrial tourism and geo-tourism,against a background of the mining development in that area and characteristics ofthe research work conducted systematically for many years at former mining andmetallurgical sites by the Mining Institute of Wrocław University of Technology.The article presents a project for the preservation, conservation and modern-day useof the survived remains of tin and cobalt ore mining in the vicinity of Krobica-Gierczyn-Przecznica at the foot of the Izerskie Mountains in the neighbourhood ofŚwieradów Zdrój, which is executed by KGHM CUPRUM Sp. z o.o.Key words: history, ore mining, exploration and exploitation of deposits,Sudety MountainsLOWER SILESIAN ORE MINING INHISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE„…There is land of such a nature that ifyou sow, it does not yield crops, but if youdig, it nourishes many more than if it hadborne fruit …”This timeless Xenophanes thought wascited in the introduction to „De ReMetallica” – the first ever complex studyconcerning mining, metallurgy andmineralogy, by its author GeorgiusAgricola, a 16 th -century researcher,scientist, physician and philosopher, one ofthe most eminent intellects of theRenaissance. The above maxim perfectlyreflects the importance of mining carried onover the ages in the area of Lower Silesia,especially in the Sudety Mts., whereadverse weather conditions and poor soilsdid not favour stock-farming and plantgrowing,and the real source of wealth andprosperity of their inhabitants were thetreasures hidden deep in the mountains bythe Nature. These treasures are made up ofnumerous mineral deposits, especiallymetal and ore deposits, including gold,silver and copper, the mining origin ofwhich is covered with mists of history andcan be traced back to as early as the bronzeage. Although the territorial notion ofSilesia underwent essential changesthroughout its history, the mining ofdifferent ores had been successfully carriedon here for many ages. To the north and tothe east of its boundaries no mining activityhad been carried on, it was only in thedistant Bytom and Tarnowskie Góry region(the Polish Ore Basin) that mining activitywas carried on a large scale. To the west,the nearest mining activity area was theregion of Freiberg. It should be stressed thatdespite the distinct separation of the LowerSilesian mining, it took advantage of theexperience of other, important miningcentres in Europe, achieving a high level ofmining and metallurgic technology(Dziekoński, 1972). In order to respect theold divisions, the notions of Lower Silesia -Silesia Inferior, Niederschlesien for thewest Silesia and the Upper Silesia - SilesiaSuperior, Oberschlesien for the east Silesiawere used. The borders of Poland on theBóbr and Kwisa Rivers were established in15

Acta Geoturistica volume 4 (2013), number 1, 15-26the year of 1000, when the Wrocławbishopric was created and they did notundergo any major changes throughout theMiddle Ages. The south border constitutedthe massifs of the Sudety Mountains(Czapliński et. al., 2002). Despite thecomplex and turbulent political history ofthe Silesia, mining activity has always animportant economic role, providinglivelihood for their inhabitants and forregional development opportunities. Theorigin of many Lower Silesian places isassociated with mining. Gold, ores of silverand lead, copper, tin, arsenic, cobaltchromium, iron, coal, lignite, buildingstone, and even mineral waters constitutedlarge resources of that region. However, thesubject of interest for former miners were,first of all, numerous, small polymetallicore deposits, usually containing a few basicore minerals, exploited in a documentedmanner over the period from the 13 th to 20 thcentury (Dziekoński, 1972). In LowerSilesia, more precisely in the Sudety Mts.,these types of ore formations encompass anumber of deposits and occurrencescharacterised by multicomponent andvariable mineralisation. The area of theiroccurrence is the Sudety Mts. and theirfoothills, where veins or mineralised zonesreach the length of more than 2 km(Radzimowice), and the depth of more than300 m (Kowary) (Dziedzic et al., 1979). Inthe initial mining period, first of all therichest and easily available deposits atsmall depths have been exploited, and thevein deposits initially evaluated as abundantoften turned out to be small and difficult inexploitation.Lower Silesia is divided into six mainregions in respect of the useful mineraloccurrence These are: Kłodzko Land,Sowie Mountains along with the Wałbrzychregion, the foothills of the KarkonoszeMountains, exploited gold-dust deposits inthe vicinity of Lwówek, Złotoryja andLegnica, the so-called North-SudetenZechstein depression (having outcropssouth of Lwówek and Złotoryja and nearGrodziec), and Fore-Sudeten Zechsteinmonocline situated north of Lubin(Dziekoński, 1972). The historically knowndeposits were exploited over many ages andthey were mostly the so-called “opendeposits”, i.e. the ore bodies of thosedeposits were at least partly exposed by theerosion surface, which allowed their earlydiscovery and extraction (Dziedzic et al.,1979).German scientists Cloos, Berg, Bederkeand Petrascheck were the first to undertakework aimed to systematise the informationon Lower Silesia deposit occurrence andgenesis, in combination with geological andstructural assumptions. In 1936, thecomprehensive study “Schlesien.Bodenschätze und Industrie“, containingthe evaluation of geological basis for thedevelopment of mineral extraction andprocessing within the area of Lower Silesia,was completed by a group of Germanscientists and researchers of that period,such as O. Spangenberg, E. Bederke, O.Eisenkraut, I. Bartsch, L. Gäbler, F. Ilner,A. Metzing, M. Morgeroth, E. Pralle, D.Rademacher, F.W. Siegert, H. Sinnreich,W. Thust (Madziarz, 2009). Since 1945 thatwork has been intensely continued by thePolish researchers and it has resulted in thediscovery of a huge polymetallic deposit ofcopper and silver, and consequently in themodern-day boom in the ore mining inLower Silesia. The deposits on the Fore-Sudeten monocline, which were discoveredonly after World War II, are ranked amongthe largest in the world and are nowadaysintensely exploited in the three modernunderground mines.The history of Lower Silesian oremining is well known and mostlyassociated with the gold mining which wascarried on in many centres and was ofspecial importance to them (Dziedzic et al.,1979; Dziekoński, 1972; Quiring, 1948;Sachs, 1906). First of all, the area in theformer Legnica Duchy, between the riversKaczawa and Bóbr in the region ofLwówek, Złotoryja, Mikołajowice andBolesławiec was distinguished by thevolume of production. The boom in gold16

Acta Geoturistica volume 4 (2013), number 1, 15-26mining took place in the years 1180–1241,and only in the first half of the 13 th centurythe mining law was introduced for the goldmines as one of the earliest in Europe(Lwówek in 1278, Złotoryja in 1342). Onthe European scale, Złoty Stok became arecognised centre of gold mining andmetallurgy, where the arsenic ore depositscontaining gold were exploited. There, thebeginnings of mining goes back to 1291,and the largest boom is traced back to 15 thcentury and the first half of the 16 th century.Till the end of the 17 th century the goal ofthe mining activity was the production ofgold, and since the beginning of the 18 thcentury the activity had been concentratedon the production of arsenic, with goldbeing recovered as a by-product. Theexploitation in Złoty Stock was finallybrought to an end in 1962. According toGerman researcher Quiring the name SowieMountains – in German: Eulengebirge,comes from the Celtic word meaning gold(Quiring, 1948). In fact, in the alreadyexploitedore veins in the Sowie Mountainsthere were small amounts of that preciousmetal.Hidden behind the fascinating shine ofgold is the forgotten but yet severalcentury-oldand noble history of LowerSilesian mining and metallurgy of manyother ores among which ores of copper,lead and silver, tin and cobalt, arsenic, ironand, later, uranium were historically mostsignificant. It is worth stressing that goldand copper - the earliest used and minedmetals by human being (Craig et al., 2003)were fairly abundant in relatively easy tofind polymetallic vein deposits in the areaof Lower Silesia, which can indicate veryearly beginnings of their exploitation in thatarea. Although as yet there is no materialevidence that the history of Lower Silesianore mining goes back more than onethousand years, there is no way not to recallhere again the works of German scientist H.Quiring, who linked the beginnings ofmining works in the Sudeten with theactivity of Cretans – already around 2thousand years B.C., and their continuationwith the influence of Celts, who stayed inthe Silesia in the period of the 4 th to 3 rdcentury B.C. (Celtic silver and bronze coinsare known). It is also known that in theperiod of the so-called “Lusatian Culture”,in the neighbourhood of Legnica andZłotoryja arms and tools were locally madeof bronze – an alloy of copper and tin, bycasting in stone moulds, with the shortagesreplenished with imports from Carpathiansand Eastern Alps. In the bronze age thisarea was within the reach of the so-called“Unietic Culture”, which formed fromaround 2100 B.C., especially south ofWrocław. Numerous copper products aswell as those made of bronze and gold,including arms, daily necessities,ornaments, etc. are found in the discoveredskeleton graveyards of that culture. It isknown that its twilight occurred as a resultof the fall of already-existing copper miningand processing centres, which were locatedin the areas where that culture evolved(Czapliński et. al., 2002). The documentedhistory of copper ore mining in LowerSilesia – the metal which, besides gold, wasthe earliest and initially most extensivelyused one in the human history, both inancient times and nowadays, encompassesthe period of at least 700 years, as the firstsurvived information on the existence of“Cuprifodina in montibus” – which simplymeans „a copper mine in the mountains” inLatin (Dziekoński, 1972; Madziarz, 2010),in the vicinity of Miedzianka near JeleniaGóra, comes from the year of 1311. Thecopper and arsenic ore deposits in the areaof northern Karkonosze Mts., in the vicinityof Miedzianka i Ciechanowice,Radzimowice and Czarnów have anessential role in the development of miningin Lower Silesia. The second area in LowerSilesia, where copper mining activity wascarried on was the neighbourghood ofZłotoryja, where already in the 18 th centuryin the place called Leszczyna a copper oremine of sedimentary origin was started, inthe form of cupriferous shales poor in metalbut ensuring stable production. The gentlyand uniformly declining bed exploited there17

Acta Geoturistica volume 4 (2013), number 1, 15-26in the “Stilles Glück” mine in the secondhalf of the 19 th century ensured thesmoothness and continuity of production(Dziekoński, 1972). Mining activity in theNorth Sudeten Zechstein depression wasresumed only in the thirties of the 20 thcentury, when the progress in miningtechnology and the shift in global miningtowards more and more poorer ores madethe mining of those merely 0.8-1.2% oreswith uniform mineralisation cost-effective.It gave the origin to the so-called “OldCopper Basin”, operating until the ninetiesof the 20 th century, in the region ofZłotoryja and Bolesławiec. Mining activityaimed at obtaining copper ores were alsocarried on in a number of other places. Theobject of exploration and exploitation in thearea of Lower Silesia were alsopolymetallic deposits containing silver.Poor deposits of tin ore occur on thenorthern slopes of the Izerskie Mts., in thevicinity of Gierczyn and small amounts ofcobalt minerals exist in theirneighbourghood, in Przecznica. The tin oreswere exploited in the 16 th and 17 th century,and the cobalt minerals were exploited inthe 18 th and 19 th century (Dziekoński, 1972;Madziarz, 2008, 2012; Madziarz et al.2006, 2008, 2012).The exploitation of iron ores was alsocarried on in Lower Silesia. The region ofKowary and that of Janowa Góra wereabundant of easily accessible magnetite. InKowary, the iron ores had been exploitedsince 1148. In the second half of the 19 thcentury, Stanisławów near Jawor became animportant centre for mining that material.The mining works on the Sudetendeposits, apart from few exceptions, werecarried on periodically. In the initial stageof exploitation, the richest and most easilyaccessible deposit parts were extracted.They often included vein deposits, initiallyevaluated as abundant but then turned out tobe small and difficult in exploitation, whichled to abandoning of mines. The miningactivity was interrupted by wars, epidemics,population migrations or by falling pricesof raw materials. Over a long period, theknowledge about the Sudeten deposits waslimited to those already recognised duringthe mining activity carried on throughoutthe centuries, in the shallow near-surfaceparts (Dziekoński, 1972).The documentary collection of theformer German Higher Mining Office inWrocław (Oberbergamt zu Breslau, OBBBreslau) is a rich source of information onthe history of mining in Lower Silesia, inwhich the especially rich materials comefrom the years of 1779–1852. The sourcepublications for historical studies are codescontaining names, summaries and full textsof documents from old chronicles.Furthermore, the works by Festenberg,Steinbeck and Fechner contain plenty ofinformation. Among the works publishedafter 1945, the work by Dziekoński (1972)is of special importance as it is acomprehensive source of information on thehistory of Lower Silesian ore mining.REMAINS OF FORMER ACTIVITYNowadays, most of the formerly exploiteddeposits in the area of Lower Silesia haveonly of historical importance. Hundreds ofyears of the intense mining works leftnumerous traces in the area, still readabledespite the lapse of centuries. Inherentlandscape element which is characteristicespecially for the mountains is numerousremains of former mining activity. Theyconstitute a precious source of knowledgeabout the development of deposit miningtechnology, providing the evidence ofknowledge and skills of the generations ofminers connected over the centuries withthe area of Lower Silesia. These relicsoccur in the area mostly in the form ofclearly distinguished heaps of waste rock,land subsidence, and often in the form ofpartly or fully survived undergroundworkings: shafts and adits, often in goodcondition, ruins of mine buildings, oreprocessing and concentrating equipment(e.g. stream water damming reservoirs).These objects are usually devoid of any18

Acta Geoturistica volume 4 (2013), number 1, 15-26protection or documentation. Many of thehitherto survived and accessible objectsdisappear from the landscape forever, as aresult of modern-day construction workscarried on in their vicinity, incorrectliquidation - without consideration to thehistorical value of such objects, or fillingthem for dozens of years now with all kindof wastes, including hazardous. In theworks devoted to the history of LowerSilesian mining the issue of preserving therelics of former activity and theirimportance - as a source of knowledgeabout the old mining techniques, as well asthe necessity to properly preserve andconserve them, or even the possibilities ofusing them today as tourist attractions, apartfrom few examples, practically have notbeen addressed. And yet the confrontationof information derived from archivematerials with that obtained during the fieldwork can lead to the enrichment ofknowledge concerning the history ofmining in Lower Silesia, and the “specificatmosphere” of old, underground workingsconstitutes a great attraction for manypeople, which can be used to improve theattractiveness of presently forgotten anddeclined places connected with the old oremining.Exploratory and documentary workconducted in the field reveals the traces ofmerely visible land subsidence marking theroutes of adits and galleries made at a smalldepth, or collapsed shafts, as well asperfectly survived workings, with thefragments of lining, equipment, etc. Thereexist large stretches of land covered withneighbouring remains of shallow shaftsused in underground mining with the multishaftmethod (e.g. on the slopes of theOłowiane Mts. in the vicinity ofCiechanowice), traces of trenches andshallow prospecting shafts marking all theregions of former exploitation, naturallycollapsed or “spaced-out” adits outlets, butalso survived large complexes ofunderground workings, with clearlydistinguished foreheads, exploratory adits,and often with exploitation chambers ofrelatively large sizes. In a number of formermining centres there still exist, in variousdegree of preservation, channels supplyingwater from rivers and streams to theprocessing equipment as well as waterdams, often in the form of reservoirslocated close to the drift outlet. The waterenergy constituted the basic source fordriving drainage, hoisting and processingequipment in most of the former LowerSilesian ore mines until the middle of the19 th century.MINING AND ARCHAEOLOGICALWORKConsidering the abundance of relics of theformer exploitation in the area of LowerSilesia and their undeniable historical andcognitive value in 1995 work aimed atsystematic cataloguing and documenting odsuch type of objects was undertaken at theMining Institute of Wrocław University ofTechnology. Because of the specialcharacter of work conducted at the objectsof historical value which should besubjected to preservation maintenance, theagreement on scientific cooperation wasconcluded in 2006 between the Faculty ofGeoengineering, Mining and Geology ofWrocław University of Technology, theInstitute of Archaeology and the Institute ofHistory of the University of Wrocław, withthe aim to jointly conduct work concerningformer mining sites in the area of South-West Poland, thus the mining archaeologywork. The research and cataloguing workhas been conducted at a number of formerore mining centres, among which there arethose of most importance from theviewpoint of the history of mining works inLower Silesia, as well as those of smallerimportance but having a documented multicenturyhistory of exploration andexploitation. Among the regions under thestudy are: the site of former copper andarsenic ore mining in the vicinity ofMiedzianka, Ciechanowice and JanowiceWielkie, polymetallic ores in Radzimowice19

Acta Geoturistica volume 4 (2013), number 1, 15-26and Czarnów, tin and cobalt ores inGierczyn and Przecznica, chromite in theŚlęża Massif, iron and uranium in theregion of Kowary, iron in Stanisławów,lead and silver in Marcinków, BystrzycaGórna and Modliszów.Each centre of former exploitation themining works were carried on periodicallywithin the space of several centuries. Withthe development of knowledge andtechnology, the previously abandonedworkings were revisited several times andthe depth of exploitation was continuallyincreased with the aim to make use of thenewest achievements in mining technologyand geological knowledge. The effect ofsuch type of activities is a large number offormer mine workings and surface buildingremains, often spread even within a singlecentre of former mining works over a large,usually undulating area. Traces of formerworks are usually obliterated as a result ofdifferent kind of works carried on afterabandoning the mining works, e.g. forestryworks. The precise study of a single site,even without giving consideration tounderground workings is a long-term andarduous work requiring the participation ofa team of experts, including miningarchaeologists. The identification andexamination of underground workingsentail speleological works, and the access tothe interiors of former mines often requiresreopening of their outlets that had beenfilled up for hundreds of years. This type ofactivity involves, which is obvious, thenecessity to make many formal and legalarrangements, to say nothing about theconsiderable costs of its completion. Due tothe above reasons, most of the hithertocompleted research and cataloguing workhas been limited to the superficialidentification of former mining work sitesand still accessible parts of workings.Due to the importance of the historicalmining centres, the scope and results ofcompleted research work, and what isparticularly important – the possibilities ofusing them in industrial tourism and geotourism,the results of the work carried outin the operating area of former lead andsilver ore mines in Bystrzyca Górna (SowieMts.) and those conducted in the historicalregion of tin and cobalt ore mining inGierczyn and Przecznica (Izerskie Mts.) arepresented below.FORMER LEAD AND SILVER OREMINING SITES IN BYSTRZYCAGÓRNA (SOWIE MOUNTAINS, INNEIGHBOURHOOD OF ŚWIDNICA)The area of the occurrence of quartzbariteveins with polymetallicmineralisation (mainly lead and silverminerals) in the neighbourhood ofBystrzyca Górna in the Sowie Mountainswas, within the space of more than fivecenturies, subjected periodically to fairlyintense exploration and exploitation works(Madziarz, 2008). In the area formerlyknown as “Goldener Wald” (GoldenForest), and more precisely, in the areaknown as “Silber Wiese” (Silver Meadow)the following mines operated in achronological order: Segen Gottes,Christinenglück, Victor Friedrich,Wilhelmine, Beathe and probably Berthe.Although the documented information onthe mining works in the neighbourhood ofBystrzyca Górna concerns only the year of1539 (Dziekoński, 1972) it is no way not torule out the considerably earlier moment oftheir beginning, the sign of which can bethe shape and size of the cross-section ofthe workings reopened during the miningand archaeological work. The first mineoperating in the described region was SegenGottes, which was relatively large for theSowie Mountains’ conditions. As knownfrom the survived documents, while drivingthe workings the traces of „old works” wereencountered, which was the sign ofconsiderably earlier time of starting themining works on the deposit in the Widnamountain (Dziekoński, 1972). Thedocumented attempt to resume theexploitation there was undertaken for thelast time in the year of 1844, in the mine20

Acta Geoturistica volume 4 (2013), number 1, 15-26called Beathe, however, the mining workswere stopped after a few years – probablybecause the deposit was depleted. The areaof the former mines in the north part of theSowie Mountains, was revisited after theLower Silesia had been reunited withPoland. The exploration works wereinitially aimed to evaluate the prospects ofthe occurrence and extraction of uraniumores, and then barite (Madziarz, 2008).Despite the numerous source materials,the proper identification of the mineworkings mentioned in the survivedliterature and historically operating in theregion of Bystrzyca Górna became possibleonly today owing to the miningarchaeology work carried out in the WidnaMountain in the years 2006–2010. Inconsultation with the Institute ofArchaeology of the University of Wrocławand after obtaining the consent from theowner of that land – the State Forests, partof the workings of the Beathe mine werereopened in 2008, first the so-called „upperadit” located on the highest level (fig. 1),then the 18 th -century lower adit (in 2009).The charting of the workings completed incomparison with the archive plans from thecollection of the former OBB Breslau madeit possible to prove that the examinedBeathe mine located in the Silber Wiese,made use of the main opening-out headingsof the mines operating there in the previouscenturies, i.e.: Segen Gottes,Christinenglück, Victor Friedrich andWilhelmine. In this way, it was possible toprove without any doubts that the locationand layout of the workings in the WidnaMountain corresponds to the mines knownfrom the literature and operating in that areain the period from the 16 th to 19 th century(Madziarz 2008).Fig. 1 Historical mining works in Bystrzyca Górna21

Acta Geoturistica volume 4 (2013), number 1, 15-26After completing the charting andphotographic documentation the workingswere preserved and filled up again. Thecomplex of workings of the former mines inthe neighbourhood of Bystrzyca is wide, ithas a great historical value and absolutelyrequires further research and cataloguingwork, as it constitutes an example of themining work development within the spaceof about 500 years, and the condition of itsworkings has not been impaired as a resultof exploration works for uranium ores – asit was the case in many similar former oremining centres in Lower Silesia.Based on the work results the concept ofcreating a tourist path presenting theattractions of the Bystrzyca River valley,among which the special role should playthe relics of the former mining works,including the complex of perfectlypreserved underground workings datedback to the period from the 16 th century tothe beginning of the 19 th century has beendeveloped. The authorities of ŚwidnicaCommune are interested in the study resultsand are in favour of making the complex ofhistorical mine workings in the WidnaMountain available for the tourist traffic asan industrial tourism and geo-tourismattraction.FORMER TIN AND COBALT OREMINING SITES IN GIERCZYN ANDPRZECZNICA REGION (IZERSKIEMTS.)The beginnings of mining works in theregion of Gierczyn and Przecznica in theKamienicki Ridge of the Izerskie Mts. aretraced back to the 16 th century, when the tinore mining and metallurgy reached theapogee there (Dziekoński, 1972). Themining works were stopped in time of theThirty Years’ War (1618-1648), there wereseveral attempts of their resumption, butthey were not successful. The explorationand exploitation works were carried onuntil the beginning of the 19 th century, andthey were finally stopped in 1815. Thegradual decrease in tin ore extraction at theend of the 18 th century in Gierczynconverged with the beginnings ofexploitation of cobalt ores in nearbyPrzecznica, providing the basic componentfor a very expensive cobalt paint. Theexploitation of cobalt ores in Przecznica hasof great economic importance, since itsupplied about 10% of the then Europeanproduction of that dye. The mining andmetallurgical works in the Sct. Maria-Annamine were carried on until the middle of the19 th century. The German authoritiesbecame interested again in the abandonedworkings of the Reicher Trost andHundsrücken tin mines in 1939, inconnection with the war preparations. After1945 the area of the occurrence of tindeposits became the subject of long-termgeological exploration. On the basis ofdocumented resources, the “Initial projectfor the construction and exploitation of theGierczyn mine” was completed in 1957,which was operating on the basis of theformer workings, with the mining workslimited to the prospecting works only. Theexploitation was never started because thedeposit was too poor (Madziarz, 2008;2009; 2012, Madziarz et al., 2008).Numerous mining objects are the remainsof the more than 400 years’ documentedhistory of mining works in the regionKrobica – Gierczyn – Przecznica. Duringthe cataloguing work carried out in theanalysed region, the complexes of minesand their superficial infrastructure, whichare known from archive materials, havebeen found and identified. They include:Sct. Maria-Anna, Drei Brüder and FryderykWilhelm in Przecznica; Morgenröthe,Kupfer Zeche and Reicher Trost inGierczyn, St. Carol and Hundsrücken inKotlina, St. Johanes and Leopold inKrobica. Special attention should be paid tothe remains of shafts of the former minesReicher Trost and Hundsrücken, on thebasis of which the mine Gierczyn wasdesigned in the post-war period (Madziarzet al., 2006; 2012). Due to their relativelygood condition, the complex of workings of22

Acta Geoturistica volume 4 (2013), number 1, 15-26the former mine Sct. Johannes and the aditLeopold in Krobica as well as the aditFryderyk Wilhelm in Przecznica (Madziarzet al., 2008) seem to be very interesting interms of their use as a tourist attractions.Also, part of the underground workings ofthe Sct. Maria-Anna mine in Przecznica isin perfect condition. In the flooded shaft ofthat mine there still may exist extremelyprecious from the historical point of viewremains of the original water drive drainageequipment.The results of the conducted work havearoused interest of the Mirsk Communeauthorities, in the area of which the remainsof former mines are located. After theproper preservation and preparation, theseobjects should add to an increase in thetourist attractiveness of Mirsk Commune,and consequently bring measurableeconomic and social benefits. This idea isFig. 2 Former tin and cobalt ore mines (16 th to 19 th century)23

Acta Geoturistica volume 4 (2013), number 1, 15-26supported by the experience of similarprojects for the restoration of historicalpost-mining objects and turning them intotourist attractions in Poland and Europe. Asa result of the undertaken activities theproject entitled “Reclamation of the regionsdegraded by mining activity in the area ofMirsk Commune, with the creation of atourist path Along the footprints of old oremining” (Madziarz et al., 2008). The projectwill be executed by KGHM CuprumResearch and Development Centre inWrocław. It will be financed by MirskCommune from the European Unionresources, within the framework of theRegional Operating Programme for theLower Silesian voivodeship for the years2007–2013. Within the framework of theabove-mentioned project, the complexreclamation of the former mining sites inthe area of Krobica – Gierczyn – Przecznicawill be carried out (towards the forest andtourism direction) and the tourist andeducational path (about 8 km long)presenting the history and remains of theformer tin and cobalt mining in that areawill be created. After removing the wastesthe proper reclamation and managementwork will be carried out at the post-miningobjects, in the scope resulting from theplanned method of their management forthe tourist traffic needs. The mainassumption adopted for the areamanagement design and creation of thetourist and teaching path is the leastpossible interference in the existingcondition of the former mining sites and thesurrounding area. The main goal is to makethe remains of former mining worksavailable to visitors in the condition asclose to the original, i.e. in the period from16 th to 19 th century, as possible.The most important element of theplanned path “Along the footprints of oldore mining” will be the underground touristroute St. John’s Mine in Krobica (fig. 2),being prepared on the basis of historicalworkings from the years 1576–1816.Tourists, under the care of guides, willcover the distance of about 350 m along theworkings from the period of the 16 th to 19 thcentury. This project, in its programmeassumptions, features the values qualifyingit to the category of environmentallyorientedand socially-oriented projects. Thecompletion of the two basic task of theproject – cleaning the objects and postminingarea from different types of waste,and then carrying out the reclamation andmanagement work, will bring about aconsiderable improvement of theenvironment condition within the area ofthe three villages: Krobica, Gierczyn andPrzecznica in Mirsk Commune. Therevitalisation of the environment,preservation and exhibition of the oldmining sites and, on their basis, creation ofthe tourist path with an attractiveunderground section should contribute tothe increase in tourist traffic in the region ofthe above-mentioned commune. It willcertainly have a positive impact on theeconomic development of that region.CONCLUSIONAs a result of the research andcataloguing work concerning the former oremining in Lower Silesia, a number ofhistorical mining sites hitherto knownmainly from the source materials andhistorical studies have been identified,where the exploration and cataloguing workwas conducted for the last time mostly atthe turn of the 40s and 50s of the 20 thcentury, in connection with the search foruranium ores (Ocena, 1959). In order toexchange experience in the scope ofidentification and documentation of suchtype of objects as well as to spread theresults of the conducted work, theconference “Mining heritage and historyand making use of remains of formermining works” is organised every year,starting from 2005. However, the mostimportant effect of the conducted workseems to be the practical use of their results,as the preparation basis for the recentproject executed by KGHM Cuprum24

Acta Geoturistica volume 4 (2013), number 1, 15-26company, under the title “Reclamation ofthe regions degraded by mining activity inthe area of Mirsk Commune with thecreation of the tourist path Along thefootprints of old ore mining”. This projectis a example of how to make use ofscientific and research work that isconducted by the scientific centre -Wrocław University of Technology, theresults of which have turned out to beinteresting for practical point of view andbecome the subject of interest of the selfgovernmentbodies due to the expectedbenefits associated with the improvement ofthe environment condition and developmentof the Commune. It is worth stressing thatMirsk Commune representatives wereacquainted with the results of the researchand cataloguing work during the conference“Mining heritage and history and makinguse of remains of former mining works”,which entailed their interest in the scope ofthe possibilities to make use of the miningheritage survived in the area of theCommune in the development of industrialtourism and geo-tourism, and hence tosignificantly improve the hitherto modesttourist proposal.In the conditions of Lower Silesia, theproject executed on the basis of thedescribed work is an innovative andpiloting project. At the first, has been madean attempt to save the complex of historicalmining sites dated in the period from the16 th to 19 th century, which have beendestroyed since the 50s of the 20 th century,when the exploration works were finallystopped there, and the former workingshave become illegal waste dumps. Theinterest aroused by the describedinterdisciplinary project among the selfgovernmentof some Lower Silesiancommunes in the area of which similarremains of former mining works are locatedand in the community of people widelyassociated with tourism – both thoseconducting economic activity and thosemaking use of attractions prepared forvisiting. The remains of several-century-oldmining activity, properly preserved andmade available for visitors, may soonbecome the major tourist attraction ofLower Silesia.REFERENCESCRAIG J.R., VAUGHAN D.J., SKINNER B.J.,Zasoby Ziemi, Warszawa 2003.CZAPLIŃSKI M., KASZUBA E., WĄS G.,ŻERELIK R. (eds), Historia Śląska, Wyd.Uniw. Wroc., 2002.DZIEDZIC K., KOZŁOWSKI S.,MAJEROWICZ A., SAWICKI L. (eds),Surowce Mineralne Dolnego Śląska, Wrocław1979.DZIEKOŃSKI T., Wydobywanie i metalurgiakruszców na Dolnym Śląsku od XIII do połowyXX w., Wydawnictwo PAN, 1972.FESTENBERG-PACKISCH H., Der MetallischeBergbau Niederschlesiens, Wien 1881.MADZIARZ M., „Cuprifodina in montibus” ohistorii i pozostałościach dawnych robótgórniczych w rejonie Miedzianki – miastazrodzonego i unicestwionego przez górnictwo,Dzieje Górnictwa – element europejskiegodziedzictwa kultury, vol. 3, Wrocław 2010.MADZIARZ M., Kopalnie „Czarnów”,„Miedzianka” i „Stara Góra” w poszukiwaniachokruszcowania uranowego oraz rud metali wlatach 40. i 50. XX w., Dzieje Górnictwa –element europejskiego dziedzictwa kultury, vol.2, Wrocław 2009.MADZIARZ M., Stan rozpoznania historycznieeksploatowanych sudeckich złóżpolimetalicznych w świetle wynikówpowojennych prac geologicznoposzukiwawczych,Prace Naukowe InstytutuGórnictwa PWr, No. 128, Series: Studia iMateriały No. 36, 2009.MADZIARZ M., Tereny dawnych robót górniczychw Bystrzycy Górnej, Modliszowie iDziećmorowicach w świetle danycharchiwalnych i badań współczesnych. (in:)Dzieje górnictwa – element europejskiegodziedzictwa kultury, Wrocław 2008.MADZIARZ M, Pozostałości dawnych kopalń rudkobaltu w rejonie Przecznicy, Dzieje Górnictwa -element europejskiego dziedzictwa kultury,Wrocław 2008.MADZIARZ M, Zadania i znaczenie sztolni whistorycznej eksploatacji górniczej na przykleizachowanych wyrobisk dawnego górnictwa rudcyny i kobaltu okolic Gierczyna, DziejeGórnictwa - element europejskiego dziedzictwakultury, Wrocław 2012.MADZIARZ M., MIZERA A., DĘBKOWSKI R.,Projekt „Rekultywacja obszarówzdegradowanych działalnością górniczą na25

Acta Geoturistica volume 4 (2013), number 1, 15-26terenie Gminy Mirsk z utworzeniem ścieżkiŚladami dawnego górnictwa kruszców” jakokoncepcja kompleksowych działań w zakresieochrony i wykorzystania dziedzictwa górniczegoDolnego Śląska, Dzieje Górnictwa - elementeuropejskiego dziedzictwa kultury, Wrocław2012.MADZIARZ M, SZTUK H., Eksploatacja rudycyny w Górach Izerskich: historia czyperspektywa dla regionu?, Prace NaukoweInstytutu Górnictwa Politechniki WrocławskiejNr 117, Studia i Materiały No. 32, Wrocław2006.MADZIARZ M, SZTUK H., Kopalnia "Gierczyn"- zapomniany epizod w historii górnictwa rudZiem Zachodnich, Dzieje Górnictwa - elementeuropejskiego dziedzictwa kultury, Wrocław2008.NEY R. (red) Surowce Mineralne Polski, SurowceMetaliczne: miedź, srebro. WydawnictwoCentrum PPGSMiE PAN, Kraków 1997.PAULO A, STRZELSKA-SMAKOWSKA B.,Rudy metali nieżelaznych i szlachetnych,Kraków, Wyd. AGH, 2000.COLLECTIVE WORK, Ocena uranonośnościSudetów, Zakłady Przemysłowe R-1, Kowary,1959.COLLECTIVE WORK, Zarys Dziejów Górnictwana Ziemiach Polskich. Vol. I and II, Katowice1961.QUIRING H., Geschichte des Goldes, Stuttgart,1948.SACHS A., Bodenschätze Schlesiens. Erze, Kohlen,Nutzbare Gesteine, Leipzig 1906.26