Historic Silver Mine in Tarnowskie Góry

The Historic Silver Mine (along with the Black Trout Adit located less than 5 km away) is the only site in the Silesian province (and one of 17 in Poland) listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The mine's unique charm lies in walking through low, narrow corridors and crossing underground by boat!

• The mine tour lasts about 1h and 30 minutes, with about 50 minutes spent underground
  
• The temperature in the mine is 10 degrees, so remember to bring a warmer coat on summer days
• Bring comfortable shoes that you don't mind getting a bit dirty - the mine's paths can be muddy
• Entrances are scheduled for specific hours, tickets can be purchased online at the mine's website
• In the summer season on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, you can reach the mine by a narrow-gauge steam train running between Bytom and Silesian town. The schedule can be found on the website https://sgkw.eu/

Education Center - multimedia exhibition

The tour starts with a short film screening - depending on the age of the visitors, these are various short films. In our case, due to the large group of children, it was a story in the form of an animated fairy tale about a simple farmer from the village of Tarnowice, Janek called Rybka, and how he discovered the local deposits. Then the guide takes us around the museum with a multimedia exhibition, where we will see old mining tools, hear about the exploitation of the deposit and learn the principle of operation of the steam machine - we also learn that the first steam machine in Upper Silesia was launched in Tarnowskie Góry.

Mine tour

After the multimedia introduction, we descend by elevator to the underground tourist route. The deposit that was mined here has been extracted, but during the tour we will see two silver-bearing veins of galena: lead ore with a silver admixture. On the route, we will see corridors, huge chambers carved by hand into the rock and faces, i.e., the workplaces of miners from the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, and even... a miner's toilet! The tour route is 40 meters underground.

Tour route

The corridors we walk through can be very narrow and low, part of the route we walk bending over - in some sections the height to the ceiling is only 140 cm! Therefore, people over 140 cm put on helmets before entering the mine. Helmets in different colors also help in identifying groups currently in the mine. The tour route is approximately 1740 m long and resembles a triangle connecting three old mining shafts: "Angel", "Snake" and "God Bless".

"Silver" Chamber

This is a chamber preserved in its original state with a demonstrated workplace of the miners, who were often the owners of the mine who supervised the extraction and ensured the safety of the miners. The chamber is also one of the places where we can see a vein of galena - sparkling lead ore, which was mined by miners. The local silver traveled all the way to China, where it was used to mint coins.

Collapse Chamber

This is a chamber where the mine's roof collapsed - fortunately, the event took place at a time when the mine was already inactive and did not threaten the miners. In the chamber, we can see wooden supports with which the ceilings were stabilized.

Water

The water from the silver mine (unlike that from other mines) is drinkable and is normally drained into the river. The drops dripping from the ceiling are rainwater, according to the guide's account it was water from rainfall that took place around January - we visited the mine in June. It took that many months to seep here!

Underground boat crossing

One of the biggest attractions was the underground boat crossing, which lasted about 10 minutes. It takes place on a route of 270 m. between two ports located at the God Bless and Snake shafts. We sail through a narrow corridor sometimes brushing against rocks - although the guide reminds us of this, it is worth making sure that children do not hold their hands on the edge of the boat.

Steam machine exhibition

An exhibition of steam engines is located near the mine building - entrance to it is generally accessible and free of charge. The steam machines gathered here are the history of Tarnowskie Góry mining - there are exhibits such as: a road roller, a railway crane, a locomobile, numerous steam engines, steam pumps and hoisting machines. It's worth knowing that the first steam machine in Upper Silesia was launched in Tarnowskie Góry.

Steam Machine Museum at the Historic Silver Mine

The steam machines gathered here tell the history of mining in Tarnowskie Góry - exhibits include a road roller, a railway crane, a steam tractor, numerous steam locomotives, steam pumps, and hoisting machines. It's worth knowing that the first steam machine in Upper Silesia was launched in Tarnowskie Góry. ...

Black Trout Adit

About 5 kilometers from the Historic Silver Mine is the Black Trout Adit - it is one of the longest underground boat flows in Europe! The name of the adit actually comes from the trout swimming in the water, which in the underground (lit only by lamps) seemed to be completely black.

Black Trout Adit, Park in Repty and Drama River Valley

One of the longest boat passages in Europe ...

Dragon in a silver crown?

Crowns are worn by princesses, but what about... dragons? How did a silver crown end up on a dragon's head? Listen to the story and when visiting the silver mine in Tarnowskie Góry, be sure to look for a dragon hiding in its caves probably to this day.

Treasure Keeper - mine spirit, coloring book for children

According to ancient beliefs, the safety of miners was watched over by the Treasure Keeper - the guardian and good spirit of the mine. He lived underground and guarded the natural resources of the earth and the treasures buried in it: ores and minerals.

The Treasurer - The Good Spirit of the Mine, Legend and Coloring Page for Kids

Legend of the Treasurer - The Good Spirit of the Mine ...

Segiet Nature Reserve

The Segiet Nature Reserve is an interesting idea for a forest walk to the mine or a hike after the tour. The trail leads us along a forest path through a 150-year-old forest complex - mainly beech. Interestingly, beech trees here reach a height of about 35-40 m! The height of the trees really impressed us. The Segiet Reserve has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as part of the Lead, Silver and Zinc Ore Mine.

Easy

directions_walk

Segiet Reserve - trail from Sucha Góra to the Historic Silver Mine

straighten 4.4km

timer 1h 23min

north_east 119m

south_east 116m

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Author: Adelina
Publish Date: 2023-06-26