Museum of the Arts of Mining

The museum was established in 1998 by former miners on the island of Sardinia. It is located in the handsome G. Asproni Institute of Mining in the centre of the town of Iglesias. The Institute was built in 1871 to teach people mining for the lead, zinc and silver mines of Sardinia. An unexpected feature inside the building is the existence of a training mine with 400 m of tunnels dug below the Institute. These were begun in 1934 and used during the Second World War as air-raid shelters. The tunnels are realistic and show a variety of problems encountered underground, with an emergency medical room, rail trucks, drilling machines and roof supports among other features. Other displays including models, dioramas, photographs, safety equipment, tools and collections of minerals. Also on show are an underground excavator and flotation tanks for processing ore. Members of the association give informative guided tours.