Maciej Shaft
50º 18' 55'' N 18º 44' 29'' E
Zabrze, Maciejów borough, Silesian Voivodeship, Poland
Poland
Description
“Maciej” Shaft is the first privately owned bituminous coal mine in Zabrze area, which started its extraction since 1843.
Extracted Materials
Bituminous coal
Antropological info
Since 1992 the mine no longer extracts bituminous coal. Not long after, the mine went through revitalisation for its primary purpose as deep-water intake and additionally it has been transformed into touristic facility.
In 2006, the building complex of the "Ludwik" Mine was entered in the register of monuments. In 2005 “Maciej” Shaft has been placed into Industrial Monuments Route and in 2011 it was awarded a laureate's diploma in the Neat Monument Competition.
Sociologal info
The “Maciej” Shaft was part of a Concordia Mine complex. The shaft was 198 meters deep, and it contributed to a significant exploitation of Concordia mine. The “Maciej” shaft served as a ventilation, transportation, drainage as well as downhill and mining shaft. The shaft consisted of a hoist tower, engine room, a complex of buildings for the shaft, weight room, boiler room, switching station, bath, iron remover and others. Around the shaft a tree square was created, and a waste rock dump were built. Water collected in the shaft, coming from the Triassic aquifer, was used for the social needs of the mine, and later also for the municipal needs of Zabrze.
Archaeological info
The “Maciej” Shaft was 198 meters deep and after the end of its activity in 1990 it was buried. Most of the infrastructure have been reinvented and renovated for artistic and cultural purposes run by Mine of Art Association.
Sustainable tourism insights
The biggest attractions of the Maciej Shaft include:
- Preserved buildings and equipment of the former mining plant from the beginning of the 20th century,
- A tour down to the water intake shaft and getting to know the genesis of its creation,
- The restaurant on 2 levels located in the main building of the mine,
- Viewing platform on the hoist tower at the level of 25m above the ground,
- The hoisting machine operation showcase,
A sustainable revitalization of a former mining complex tour.
Environment sustainability
The hard coal mines history changes from an industrial production plant to the only fully preserved authentic mining plant of its kind in Europe. The complex is listed in the register of monuments, on the Industrial Monuments Route and the Silesian Tastes Trail.
