An antimony mine that closed in 1992 and lying in the village of Dúbrava in the Low Tatra mountain region of Slovakia. Antimony being a metal that is used in the manufacture of batteries, armaments and solders.
Lovers of Slovak cinema, which I assume will be most people here, will of course immediately recognise the name of this place as it features in that famous 1975 Slovak blockbuster Tereza. The underground scenes of that film can be watched here.
HISTORY
In the Dúbrava valley of the Low Tatras, antimony has been mined since the 16th century. German scholar Georgius Agricola (1494-1555), known as the "father of mineralogy", mentions the mines in his writings. Agricola refers to heavy work conditions resulting in many miners dying prematurely.
Large scale industrial mining began in the Second World War. Antimony has been and still is an important part of the armaments industry. It is added to steel to make the steel more flexible. The barrel of an antimony-free steel gun would splinter after the shot.
The Dúbrava mines had about 60 open galleries, reaching up to 300m deep. Each year, about 3km of new corridors were dug out, producing about 50000 tonnes of ore annually. The net gain was around 500 tonnes of antimony. Gold, silver and copper were occasionally encountered and harvested in the mines.
During the communist era, miners in Czechoslovakia were paid twice as much as other workers and enjoyed early retirement at 55 - of all the professions, only ballet dancers had the same retirement privilege. But few miners made it to the age of 55. Many miners suffered from silicosis and vasonucleosis.
The mines at Dúbrava closed in 1992. Today antimony is mined in China and Bolivia. Production there is so high, that those two countries alone cover the needs of the world.
REPORT
1. Surface buildings remain
2. But were found to be full of bales of hay and of little interest
3.
4. There were 2 adits going into the hillside, this one was locked
5. This one could be entered with difficulty
6. Looking out
7. First view looking in
8. The adit ran in a level straight line for about 600m
9. The metal reinforcements disappeared about halfway in
10. There were side rooms
11. After about 600m the passageway was blocked
12. Turning around, the exit could be seen in the distance
13. Walking out
14. Looking back in
15. Another side room
16. This junction, near to the exit, was for a short passage only about 50m long
17. Looking in again
18. And back to the entrance
Thanks for reading
Lovers of Slovak cinema, which I assume will be most people here, will of course immediately recognise the name of this place as it features in that famous 1975 Slovak blockbuster Tereza. The underground scenes of that film can be watched here.
HISTORY
In the Dúbrava valley of the Low Tatras, antimony has been mined since the 16th century. German scholar Georgius Agricola (1494-1555), known as the "father of mineralogy", mentions the mines in his writings. Agricola refers to heavy work conditions resulting in many miners dying prematurely.
Large scale industrial mining began in the Second World War. Antimony has been and still is an important part of the armaments industry. It is added to steel to make the steel more flexible. The barrel of an antimony-free steel gun would splinter after the shot.
The Dúbrava mines had about 60 open galleries, reaching up to 300m deep. Each year, about 3km of new corridors were dug out, producing about 50000 tonnes of ore annually. The net gain was around 500 tonnes of antimony. Gold, silver and copper were occasionally encountered and harvested in the mines.
During the communist era, miners in Czechoslovakia were paid twice as much as other workers and enjoyed early retirement at 55 - of all the professions, only ballet dancers had the same retirement privilege. But few miners made it to the age of 55. Many miners suffered from silicosis and vasonucleosis.
The mines at Dúbrava closed in 1992. Today antimony is mined in China and Bolivia. Production there is so high, that those two countries alone cover the needs of the world.
REPORT
1. Surface buildings remain
2. But were found to be full of bales of hay and of little interest
3.
4. There were 2 adits going into the hillside, this one was locked
5. This one could be entered with difficulty
6. Looking out
7. First view looking in
8. The adit ran in a level straight line for about 600m
9. The metal reinforcements disappeared about halfway in
10. There were side rooms
11. After about 600m the passageway was blocked
12. Turning around, the exit could be seen in the distance
13. Walking out
14. Looking back in
15. Another side room
16. This junction, near to the exit, was for a short passage only about 50m long
17. Looking in again
18. And back to the entrance
Thanks for reading
