Su Zurfuru Mining Site

The Su Zurfuru mine on the island of Sardinia began in 1889. It extracted lead and zinc initially, and later fluorite. The mine closed in 1993. It is sited on a steep hillside with the entrance above and processing buildings on terraces below. Since 2016, visitors have been able to explore the site with the Su Zufuru Mining Assocation, a group of former miners and mining enthusiasts committed to preserving its history. The ‘Life in the Dark’ exhibition explores mining from the late eighteenth century to the present with a focus on a collection that illustrates the history of lighting in the mine. In the surface buildings are a compressor engine made in New York by Ingersoll Rand, which supplied compressed air for drilling, and a turbine room, where Sardinia’s first hydroelectric power generator was installed in 1895. Processing equipment on display includes two wooden flotation cells and a ball mill.