Revitalization of "Królowa Luiza"
Adit tourist route in "Guido" Mine

A few words about the history of the “Queen Luisa” adit:

At the end of the 18th century, a mining engineer Salomon Issac was brought from Brabant to the Upper Silesian region. At the order of the then director of the Higher Mining Office, he conducted geological research in the area of the present Zabrze and Chorzów. In 1790, he discovered coal deposits in the Czarniawka River valley and in the village of Łagiewniki.

Thanks to the newly discovered deposits, it was decided to build in the area of the present Zabrze one of the first state coal mines in the Upper Silesia. The works related to the extraction of black gold started already in 1791 – at that time it was named “Królewska”. It was not until 1811 that it was renamed “Königin Luise Grube” (“Queen Louise”), in memory of King Friedrich Wilhelm IV’s wife who had died the year before.

In the first years of the mine’s operation, attempts were made to cope with the inflow of water to the excavations which made the work of miners difficult or even impossible. Initially, water was brought to the surface by buckets or horse-drawn carts. The imported steam engine, which powered the drainage pumps, was also insufficient.

Królowa Luiza Mine became one of the largest and most modern mines in the history of Silesian coal mining. From the moment of its creation in 1791 the mine was developing at a rapid pace, already in 1816 gaining 25% of the whole Silesian coal output. In 1842 after putting the first deep shaft – “Dechen” into operation the exploitation of coal beds located below the level of Main Key Heritage Adit started. In 1846 the mine received one of the first railroad sidings in Silesia what enabled coal transportation to remote destinations. In the 1850s the shafts were constructed: Carnall (after 1945 Zabrze II), “Prinz Schönaich”.

Revitalization of the “Królowa Luiza” adit:

Making the entire Adit Complex accessible to tourists in 2018 is the result of ongoing mining and construction works, started in 2009 and completed in 2018 with the opening of a tourist water route. The main objective of this project was to preserve the mining heritage of the region by adapting and revitalizing the complex for cultural, educational and tourist purposes.

The very process of revitalization of the Complex assumed the execution of a pioneering undertaking, which was to access and make available the historic, over 200-year-old excavations of the Main Key Heritage Adit and revitalization of the underground galleries of the Królowa Luiza mine.

After clearing the shafts essential for ventilation in 2012, the removal of silt from the Adit was commenced.

Due to the specific nature and historic character of the underground, the works were conducted here on the basis of traditional, manual techniques. The work was carried out by drilling and excavating with Dynacen expanding material, so as not to damage the historic steam hoisting machine. Once the adit had been unblocked and connected to the Carnall shaft, it was possible to install another Becker Warkop overhead rail in order to mechanize and speed up the revitalization work.

The general contractor and supplier of the equipment, including the suspended monorail, was KG Construction sp. z o.o.

Licensed production of mechanized supports MHP Belarus
Composite ladder compartment PGG SA KWK Ruda Ruch Halemba
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