Museum of Iron Ore Mining

Częstochowa in southern Poland was the centre of the country’s iron ore mining industry. A museum was established in 1968 with displays illustrating mining techniques, and collections of winding equipment, roof support systems, tools, drilling and face-cutting machinery, lighting and ventilation systems, locomotives used underground and mining maps. Subsequently the museum was re-located to tunnels excavated in 1974-76 linking exhibition pavilions in the Stanislaw Staszic Park. Visitors gain from the underground displays a thorough understanding of the conditions experienced by past generations of iron ore miners. Artefacts have been gathered from many different mines in the region.