ASTRA - IO3_EN

Mining region - Regionof change

Introduction

Revitalisation is an issue that has not been legally regulated for the

past years. It was obvious that crisis states needed re-development

and governmental support to be able to provide for local inhabitants.

Many areas have been degraded and abandoned but most importantly

the inhabitants were the ones suffering the most from these changes.

Having been left with no hope for the future they immediately fell into

a crisis state. Unregulated revitalisation processes were the main

obstacles against the activities of the renewal of Polish cities. Since

the 7th July 1994 due to the act of spatial development the issue of

problematic areas, as well as areas requiring transformation and

rehabilitation of the existing buildings, appeared (Grupa Ekspercka,

2020). After many years of actualisation of the original act, on the

9th Jun 2010, the final act was established with the main objective to

ensurethe effectiveness and universal characterof revitalization

activities, as well as their comprehensiveness and the use of

coordination mechanisms, which will allow for the removal of

degradedareas from the crisis state.

The revitalisation of degraded areas of Polandplays a big part in the

programming of Poland's development policy. This phenomenon is

caused by the biggest issues monitored from mid-1990 related to

socio-economic and spatial problems, such as the crisis of traditional

industry areas, the degradation of downtowns and the accompanying

suburbanization, gradual "shrinkage" of cities, the increase in the socalled

renovation gap (Ciesiółka, 2017).

With the support of the Erasmus+ program of the European Union. This document and its

contents reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible

for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

According to the above, the areas that urgently require revitalisation

are old town areas of historic buildings, tenement houses in the 19th

and early 20th centuries, factory housing estates from the same

period, housing estates from the 1950s and 1960s, post-industrial

areas, degraded warehouse and storage areas, unused areas and

post-communication facilities, degraded port areas and river quays,

post-military areas, areas of substandard housing estates, other

development areasunsuitable for the place and internal structure of

the city. In this paper, we are going to focus on post-industrial areas

and specifically on post-mining areas (Parysek, 2015). At the outset,it

is worth mentioning that in recentyears, revitalization has been

includedin the legalisation shaping the socio-economic and spatial

development of the countrywhich we owe to the European Union

policy, under which projects aimed at social, economic and spatial

renewalof degraded areas are financed.




Mining history in Europe

This chapter will introduce you to the juxtaposition of the beginning of

the mining industry in Europe, focusing on Poland, Italy and Spain.

Despite agriculture, mining is the oldest industryon Earth. European

mining has a long history dating back to 800 years ago. Back then in

Eastern Europe and Spain, there was gold and copper extraction. In

Roman times they were the most important resourcesfor Spain, Cyprus

and Eastern Europe. As time passed and the industry developed,

Europe formed some of the earliesteconomic geologists. That would

not be possiblewithout Europe beingone of the world’s oldest mining

districts. According to that statement, in 1556 the first book exploring

the science of economic geologywas published. “De Re Metallica ''

was writtenby Georgius Agricolawho based his knowledge on his

experiences on the mineral deposits in Saxony (D. Blundell, N. Arndt,

et. al.). The mid-18th centurywas significant for Polish coal mining.

With the rapid growth of the industry,the mining academywas

established in 1919 in Krakow to educate new engineers (apcom.info,

2019). However, only between 1989 and 2016 during the transformation

42 out of 70 collieries were closed (GSI, 2018). In Italy, due to the

fact the Italian peninsula is a geologically young land, it retains few

mineralresources. In consequence, Italy faced a stagnant transition

from an agricultural to an industrial economy beginning only in the

late 19th century (Wickham, 2021). Iron and coal mines have been

closed as a result of the low concentration of minerals and high

production costs.




Most of the mines that actively endured at the beginning of the 20th

century have been closed (eniscuola.net, 2021). In contrast, Spain,

under its diverse geological land, has a wide range of mineral

resources. Spain has had the largest mercury deposit in the world

exploited since ancient times. In 2017 Spain was between the second

and the third producer of copper, the first producer of gypsum and

the exclusive producer of sepiolite in the European Union

(uk.practicallaw.thomsonreuters.com, 2021). Nowadays,mining in

Europeis the most modern and innovative industrysector in the

continent.

Having introduced the background of each partnership country’s

mining industryas an interesting fact I would like to give a brief

overview of their current primary energy production resources. Only in

2020, Poland based 47% of primary energy production on hard coal

(trade.gov, 2021). In 2017 Italy’selectricity production in 67% comes

from fossilfuels and Spain generated almost40% of the country’s

electricity from fossil fuels,primarily natural gas and coal (eia.gov,

2017).




Post-mining

Degraded post-mining areas

In this chapter, I would like to make an introduction to degraded areas

in Poland, Italy and Spain before the revitalisation processbegins.

Before the mine operation, the big processof degradation begins. The

course starts with the massive destruction of land and natural habitats

for wild animals and the natural environment. The case of The Doñana

Disaster in Andalusia, Southern Spain is a catastrophic exampleof an

ecological disaster during mine operation. The industrial disasterwas

caused by a holding dam that burst at the Los Frailes mine, near

Aznalcóllar, Seville Province, releasing 4–5 million cubic metres of

mine tailings causing irreversible destruction leading to a chain of

serious environmental issues in the Andalusia region. Almost 2,000

birds, chicks, eggs, and nests were killed or destroyed and more than

25,000 kilos of dead fish were collected in the aftermath. During

years of mine operation, the land eroded and degraded, these

conditions were not conducive to maintaining a good quality of mines.

In Italy in Lercara, Friddi town located in Sicily questioned

thecondition in which the miners (male, female and juvenile) worked as

well as the fragility of the mine system which was life-threatening. It

may take years to decades until the very end when the mine has been

exploited of its resources, the prosperity of the area is over. Unless,

like in Lercara Friddi, Italy the industry faced a crisis as sulphur was

no longer that relevant.




Despite the crisis and numerous strikes, human losses and social and

environmental impoverishment, the mine was still extracted until the

third quarter of the XX century. Anothercase of mine closure was In

Almadenin Spain, where the extraction of mercury and cinnabar was

ongoing until 2001 due to miners health problems as well as low

profitability. In Poland, after the closureof the mines, the

biggestimpact was the lack of the main“human” power source.The

world turnedupside down for inhabitants. They have lost their sourceof

income, the infrastructure development plans of the areas were

exterminated, localcommunities fell into depression and crime began

to rise. Our points of interest were facing and still face numerous

challenges related to outcomes of land exploitation.

Based on the “Initiative for coal regions in transition” created by the

European Commission focusing on the Silesia region in Poland, there

are various current or expected transition challenges facing the

region - air quality, environmental degradation of land, demographic

change, narrow industrial structure, modernisation of

industry,employment creation, reskilling, transport infrastructure and

mobility, social cohesion, las but not least limited partnership and

consensus. Concerning these challenges, we will evaluateeach case

studyfrom Poland, Italy and Spain before and after (if applicable) the

revitalisation process.




Revitalisation and its cases from Italy,Poland and Spain

Poland

The RozbarkCoal Mine

The Rozbark mine is

located in the Polish

region of Upper Silesia.

Established in 1870, it

provided jobs for over

50 000 people. In 1923

on 31st January,there

was a big catastrophe

in the history of mining

in Bytom.

145 miners lost their lives and hundreds were wounded. Until this day,

in the parish of Saint Jacek in Rosary every year on the anniversary of

the disaster the miners pray for the victims. After over 130 years of

black gold extraction, the last waggonleft the Rozbarkmine in July

2004. In 2007 Rozbarkmine officially enteredthe Polish registry of

monuments and in 2011 it was granted EU funding covering the partial

costsdedicated to its revitalisation. There were different plans on

revitalisation and its spatial development, one of which were urban

gardens or housing estates.However, the municipality has recorded

that dance is what is important to people and dance school is the

showcase of the city. A ballet school has and the Silesian Dance

Theatre has been operating in Bytom for years, and recently students

have been learning the profession of actor theatre dance.




In accordance, in 2014

Rozbark Dance and

Movement Theatre Centre

were founded in the

former mine. Moreover,

The former Rozbark Mine

is very popular among

filmmakers.

Kazimierz

Kutz shot the film “Pearlin

the Crown'', and

MaciejPieprzyca

shot

“Barbórka”. The below

picturespresent the mine

appearance before the

revitalisation.




The “Konin”Brown Coal Mine

The “Konin” Brown Coal Mine is

located in Greater Poland. It is the

only lignite open pit in Poland

operating after joining the European

Union and still operating

(zepak.com, 2021). In the interwar

period, lignite deposits in the Konin

area were examined and

documented. Duringthe occupation,

Germanswere the first to start the

exploitation of raw material. After

the war in 1945, the mine was

officially established as “KWB Konin”

(BrownCoal Mine Konin).




The “Maciej” Shaft in Zabrze

The Maciej Shaft is a group of

facilities and equipment of the

former Concordia Mine located

in Upper Silesia in Poland. The

first private coal mine in

Zabrze, which began mining in

1843. In 1992 the area of the

Maciej Shaft was liquidated

due to exhaustion of coal

deposits (its- Poland, 2021).




Guido Mine, Queen LouiseAdit in Zabrze

Located in Upper Silesia the mine was established in 1855 by Guido

Henckelvon Donnersmarck. It reached its maximum production in 1885.

In the 1930s its functiondeclined and in 1960 it was closed down.




“Former Mine” Science and Art Centrein Wałbrzych

The coal mine located in Upper

Silesiawas established in 1770. In

1867 the decision was made to

deepen the shaft “Julius”

reaching a depth of 611 m. Then

two years later at a distance of

55 metres from the first shaft,

the second shaft “Ida” was

drilled. In 1946 it reached a maximum depth of 443 metres. The mine

went bankrupt in 1990 and the final liquidation was completed by 1998.




Wilson The Shaft Gallery in Katowice

The Shaft Gallery Wilson is located in the city of Katowice in the Lower

Silesia region. The buildings were designed by cousins Emil and Georg

Zillmann in 1826. They were renamed "Wilson" after the President of

the UnitedStates in 1935.After the war, the area belonged to the

Wieczorek Mine. In 1995, the Wilson Shaft was closed.




Italy

Casteltermini, Agrigento, Italy

The Zolfara Cozzo Disi is a sulphur mine located in the province of

Agrigento, near the municipality of Casteltermini. The mine was

founded before 1839. It became one of the most important Italian

sulphur mines and the last to be closed in 1988. The mine was

maintained until 1993 and then it slowly transited to become a

museum. Despite the Regional Law no. 17 guidelines favouring the

mine transition into the archaeological museum, the revitalisation

process is still ongoing. The Cozzo Disi mine is identified as a crucial

Sicilian cultural heritage and part of its original landscape, along with

several manufactured goods and archives, are at disposal of a wider

audience.




Comitini and Casteltermini

Comitini is a small town in the province of Agrigento, Sicily. With its

ancient history and location alongan important commercial road, the

town is very famous for having been set for numerous literaryworks by

Pirandello. However, Comitini and its surroundings are significantly

characterised by mining culture. Throughout the nineteenth century, 70

sulphur mines were discovered and put intooperation, employing over

10,000 people.




Lercara Friddi, Sicily

Lercara Friddi is a town in the Palermo hinterland. Historically it was

an important mining centre, the only one afferent to Palermo, through

which sulphur was extracted. The town went through significant

development in the first half of the nineteenth century.The economic

importance of the region was appreciated by many foreign

entrepreneurs. The extracted and treated sulphur was sent to Palermo

(railwaynetwork built ad hoc around1870 in operation until around

2015-17). At the beginning of the 20th century, sulphur extraction went

through a crisis and was no longer relevantas its primary purpose was

creating gunpowder used until the end of the 19th century. Extraction

continued until the late ’90s when numerous strikesfinally received

media coverage revealingoverall social and environmental

impoverishment.




The Ecomuseum of Mines and Val Germanasca

The Ecomuseum of Mines and Val Germanasca is located in the

municipality of Prali, about 70km away from Turin.The area was

originally a talc mine, consisting of two primarydeposits for a total of

about 4km of tunnels.The ecomuseum is an exampleof effective,

organic,lasting post-mining revitalization focused on enhancingthe

cultural and natural heritage.Unfortunately, it is also a clear example

of a north-south divide in Italy, still far from being bridged.




Spain

Río Tinto Mines, Minas de Riotinto, Huelva, Andalusia, Spain

In 1873, Spain sold the mining

territories to Río Tinto Company

Limited (a British company),

which massively exploited its

resources such as sulphurs,

copper, iron and others until

1954. When the mining

profitability decreased in 1954,

the mine ownershipreturned to

Spain.

The red colour of Rio Tinto earth

and river are a consequence of

copper and iron concentration.

Only microorganisms can survive

under such conditions. NASA

scientists have studied the

ecosystem and concluded that Riotinto and Mars have similar environments.




Almadén Mining Park

Almaden Mines are the largest mercury mines in the world, extracting

a third part of the global mercury production. This exploitation was

probably discovered by Phoenicians and Carthaginians, but its

documentation beganin the 4th century BC with the Roman invasionof

the Iberian Peninsula. It was used as a dye. During the

Muslimoccupation, the place received its current name: Almadén.

From the 12th century, the

Spanish Crown owned the mines

and all its resources.

Nowadays,health

problems

associated with mercury, along

with the currently low

profitability, has made Almadén

mines cease their activity. Nevertheless, the mines have become a

tourist attraction that offers a real miningexperience.




Aznalcollar Mines

Aznalcollar mines are located in Doñana National and Natural Park, in

Andalusia. They are famousdue to a natural disasterthat occurred

here. The DoñanaDisaster , also known as the Aznalcollar Disaster or

Guadiamar Disaster was an industrial accident in Andalusia, southern

Spain. On 25 April 1998, a holding dam burst at the Los Frailes mine,

near Aznalcóllar, Seville Province, releasing 4–5 million cubic metres

of mine tailings.The acidic tailings,which contained dangerous levels

of several heavy metals, quickly reached

the nearby River Agrio, and then its

affluent River Guadiamar, travelling about

40 kilometres along these waterways

before they could be stopped. The

Guadiamar is the main water source for the

Doñana National Park, a UNESCO World

Heritage Site and one of the largest

nationalparks in Europe.The clean-up

operation took three years, at an estimated

cost of €240 million.




Barruecopardo mine

Barruecopardo is a village and municipality in the provinceof

Salamanca, westernSpain, part of the autonomous community of

Castile-Leon. It has a population of 504 people and lies 730 metres

(2,400 ft) above sea level. With a 30-year mining licence, the

company’s flagship producing

asset is the Barruecopardo

mine where the company

extracts, upgrades, and

cleansfor sale to downstream

end-users a high-quality

Tungsten mineral concentrate.




Evaluation before revitalisation

According to the above characteristic

of post-mining locations that require

revitalisation every mine has a

different history of industrialisation

and mine expansion. Although, they all

seek remembrance and respectfor the

infrastructure and most importantly the

miners. Many of these locationsput

hope into the tourism industryto bring

back to life their piece of history.Some

of them may serve local communities

and build social cohesion filling in

their leisure time and developing new

skills.

Unfortunately, not all of them will be developed. Aznacollar Mines and

the surrounding area have been destroyed and the ground still

contains heavy metals which may affect plans of floralor

infrastructural development. The biggest difference is that Italian

mines have been closed a long time ago and since then no one took

care of the infrastructure whereasmines in Polandhave been shut

recently in the nineties.Poland faced a sudden crisis but was able to

act sooner than Italy and maintain the post-mining regions. This would

not be possiblewithout European Union programmes and support for

post-mining regionsin a crisis state.




This policy is strictly based on

the European Union's

willingness to become the first

coal free-energy region. The

next chapter will give a closer

look into the revitalisation of

post-industrial

complexes

related to the development of

creative industries. We will

focus on a holistic approach to

development,

exploiting

potential creative industries

and restoring harmony in the

economy, culture, community

and places, paving the way for sustainable development.




With

With

the

the

support

support

of the

of

Erasmus+

the Erasmus+

program

program

of the

of

European

the European

Union. This

Union.

document

This document

and its contents

and its

reflect

contents

the views

reflect

only

the

of

views

the authors,

only of the

and

authors,

the Commission

and the Commission

cannot be held

cannot

responsible

be held

for

responsible

any use

which

for any

may

use

be

which

made of

may

the

be

information

made of the

contained

information

therein.

contained therein.

ASTRA - IO3_EN

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?