Who are we?

The Underground Tourist Route “Coal Mine” was established back in 1996, then as the Mining Museum. While the mine was still in operation in Nowa Ruda, the idea of preserving part of it in the form of a museum was born in several heads. It was to remind people of Nowa Ruda’s heritage, pass it on to the next generation, who no longer had contact with the mine, and be an important point on the cultural map of Nowa Ruda and the Klodzko Valley.

The mission of this organization is simple – it shows the hardship of mining work to multitudes of tourists every day. It reminds the older generations and teaches the younger ones, preserving and maintaining mining traditions and memorabilia. They take care of the Lech adit, which is the last part of the Novorudz mine. Although the task is serious, it does not exclude great fun. Tourist and educational programs are tailored to each age group. They know very well that a person will remember the most when it is sometimes funny and sometimes scary.

Previously, the site was home to a mine – the oldest on current Polish soil, with the first records of coal mining dating back to 1434. Mining flourished in the 18th century with the establishment of the Ruben mine (1741) and the Industrial Revolution. The Nowa Ruda mine, although it shared common features with others, stood out from other mines due to its unique characteristics. In 1877, deposits of refractory slate were discovered in Nowa Ruda, and after World War II it was the only mine in Poland where the slate underwent complex purification and roasting processes. Gas and rock outbursts, especially carbon dioxide, posed a great danger, making this mine one of the more dangerous in Europe. Between 1908 and 1945, as many as 596 ejections were recorded with a total rock mass of more than one hundred thousand tons. The biggest mining disaster occurred on May 10, 1941, which killed 187 people. This forced a different work rhythm and approach to mining. In the early 1990s, for economic reasons, it was decided to close the mine. The last miners left KWK Nowa Ruda in 1995.

In the future, the organization will continue its mission, passing on knowledge and passion to more and more people who are curious about the world. They will expand, create new educational programs and increase the number of exhibits. If fate proves to be kind, perhaps Nowa Ruda will once again become a mining town, and more than five hundred years of tradition will come back to life.

Actively

For your health

Heritage

Out in nature

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