Centrum Nauki i Sztuki Stara Kopalnia

About the museum

The Stara Kopalnia complex is the former Julia mining plant in Wałbrzych, where coal mining goes back to the history of the oldest coal basin within the borders of present-day Poland. The Fuchs mining partnership (gwarectwo) in Biały Kamień was established in 1770 on the basis of the Prussian mining law of 1769. The mine was closed in the 1990s, which threatened the unique complex with devastation.

The Museum of Industry and Technology was established by order of the Wałbrzych Voivode on 11 January 1993 as a branch of the Wałbrzych District Museum. The complex comprises the oldest and largest preserved group of mining structures in the town, from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries: the bathhouse, lamp room, boiler houses, a mechanical workshop, the headframes and towers of the “Julia”, “Sobótka” and “Dampf” shafts, an observation tower and a coal preparation plant. The site is under permanent heritage protection.

Today the Centrum Nauki, Kultury i Sztuki Stara Kopalnia runs the museum and the small science centre SOWA. The guided tour includes the winding-engine house of the “Julia” shaft, with two electric winding machines in operation since 1911, an exhibition of mining traditions and rescue work, an open-air exhibition of machines and an underground tourist route. The complex also houses galleries, the Centrum Ceramiki Unikatowej (Centre of Unique Ceramics), the Sztygarówka café and accommodation.

Highlights

• Winding-engine house of the “Julia” shaft with winding machines from 1911
• Underground tourist route with mining tools
• Exhibition “Przetrwały ukryte w ziemi. Skarb groszy praskich”
• Small SOWA science centre for children
• Observation tower and open-air exhibition of mining machines

Permanent exhibitions

• Trasa zwiedzania Muzeum Przemysłu i Techniki – Guided tour of the historic mine complex: the winding-engine house of the “Julia” shaft, an exhibition of mining traditions and the underground tourist route.
• Przetrwały ukryte w ziemi. Skarb groszy praskich i zabytki archeologiczne – Permanent exhibition of silver coins from the 14th and 15th centuries, unearthed in 2016, and archaeological objects.
• Podziemny świat – górnicza praca na przedwojennych fotografiach – Exhibition of more than a hundred unique negatives showing the work of miners before the war.

Founded

1993

Operated by

Centrum Nauki, Kultury i Sztuki Stara Kopalnia w Wałbrzychu

Admission & discounts

Information and booking for the Explore Wałbrzych ticket: tel. 74 667 09 70. Tickets bought online are honoured in electronic form or as a receipt or invoice.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Kids’ birthday parties

The small SOWA science centre (Strefa Odkrywania, Wyobraźni i Aktywności – Zone of Discovery, Imagination and Activity) is intended for children, with classes and the option of birthday parties; a family ticket is also available.

Getting there & parking

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Amenities & dining

• Café

The Sztygarówka café is in the industrial interior of the former mine foremen’s building (daily 9:00–17:00); the building also houses a reception and guest rooms.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

Up to 120 guests.

Space rental for conferences, training, corporate events and team building; the Sztygarówka café (144 m², up to 120 people). Contact: marketing@starakopalnia.pl.

Plan your visit