Rosas Mining Ecomuseum

Metal mining at Rosas on the island of Sardinia dates back to the Bronze Age. It began on a new scale after 1851. Around 15 large mines opened near the town of Iglesias. The village of Rosas grew up with housing and services for around 750 people. The mine mainly produced lead, zinc and copper until it closed in 1980. Many of the buildings have been preserved and now combine in an eco-museum with artefacts and open-air archaeological remains. A gallery displays a collection of minerals and tools with graphic information panels. Visitors can walk into the Santa Barbara mining tunnel to see the railways, bare rock and methods of extraction and roof support. A very rare feature is that the processing plant is fully restored as a museum of industrial archaeology where the whole process can be seen of crushing, washing and flotation. Miners’ houses are now holiday accommodation as a ‘diffused hotel’.