Bellmunt del Priorat Mine Museum

The museum interprets the history of mining for lead in the Priorat region of Catalunya at the Eugènia mine, which worked from 1870 until 1972. The museum was opened in 2002 and is part of mNACTEC, the Museums of Science and Technology of Catalunya. A steel headframe is surrounded by pit-head buildings, repair shops and spoil tips. The main displays are in the foundry for maintaining equipment. They explain geology, galena ore, the uses of lead and the long history of lead and silver mining in the region from the Bronze Age and Medieval period. The main focus is on the working of the Eugènia mine underground and its ore preparation on the surface. The collection includes tools, machinery, ore samples, plans, photographs and documents. Visitors go 40 m underground and see excavations in the vein of ore. A video shows the life of workers. Near the museum is the model colony built in 1920 to house additional skilled miners.