Mecsek Mining Museum

Pécs is the chief city of southern Hungary. Mining for coal in the nearby Mecsek Hills began in the late eighteenth century, and in the mid-nineteenth century the Danube Steamship Company bought land to be used for large scale mining. After the Second World War uranium ore was mined as well as coal, but the industry has now entirely closed down. The Mining Museum in Pécs opened in 1981. It includes a replica mine, 400 m long, created in a former wine cellar in the town centre. There are displays of equipment including hydraulic props and wagons from underground railways. The museum holds a large minerals collection.