Revitalization of the Main Key Heritage Adit - Waterway Route

The Main Key Heritage Adit has high historical and scientific values, is a unique example of technical thought and craftsmanship of ancient engineers, as one of the largest construction projects of the late 18th and mid 19th century in the Upper Silesia. Functionally connected with the oldest state mine “Królowa Luiza” in Zabrze, it is the longest hydrotechnical construction in European coal mining, using the gravitational drainage system.

A few words about the history of the object, which revitalization was conducted by our company KG Construction under the supervision of the Voivodeship Conservator of Monuments:

The adit with the height of about 2.5 m and the width of about 1.6 m in the light, connecting the “Królowa Luiza” mine in Zabrze with the “Król” mine in Chorzów of 14 km in length was, at the moment of launching, the longest adit in Europe. The difference in level between the end of the adit in Chorzów and its mouth in Zabrze was approx. 12.35 m; as a result, the average gradient of the adit was small, i.e. 0.87 m per 1 km. The implementation of this project was possible thanks to the application of many innovative technical solutions, as the works were conducted in difficult geological conditions. The adit was drilled with the help of countershafts from 22 so-called skylights and several shafts on the premises of the Król mine in Chorzów. The mining works were carried out using iron wedges driven into the stone with the help of hammers; blasting works were also carried out. The adit was partly wooden and partly made of stone or brick. In order to make it easy for boats sailing in opposite directions to pass each other, five passages were built by extending the adit.

In the “Królowa Luiza” mine coal was loaded in the faces into pine boxes, barred with steel flat bars and hoops, with a capacity of about 370 kg. They were placed on platforms that were pulled along the tracks by manual wheelwheels or by horses. This way the excavated material was transported along walkways and ramps to the adit banks and loaded onto boats.
Today, after revitalization, tourists visiting the “Królowa Luiza” mine may familiarize themselves with the history of the adit by taking electric boats to the Summer Harbour located in the Karola Miarki Street near the Ibis Hotel in Zabrze. During the boat trip one can learn about the history of the city and see revitalized monuments of technology.