Easter at Tarnowskie Góry

A cover from my good friend in Poland - from Tarnowskie Góry! 

Easter 

Date of issue : 7 March 2019 

Poland issues stamps for Easter every year and this year (2019) , it has issued two stamps showing beautifully painted Easter eggs :) 

The cover has been posted from Tarnowskie Góry along with cachet’s of the town’s main attractions :) 

Tarnowskie Góry  is a town in Silesia (southern Poland), located in the Silesian Highlands near Katowice. The name of Tarnowskie Góry is derived from Tarnowice, name of a local village and word góry which in Old Polish meant "mines".

According to legend, the source of silver ore (solely responsible for the town's existence,) was first discovered in 1490, when local peasant-farmer named Rybka found a strange, heavy, metallic stone while plowing the field near village of Tarnowice. He presented his find to a local priest and within less than three decades this place became the largest silver mining center in the area. Its population rivaled in size some of the major cities of the Renaissance world and prospectors were coming from all corners of the continent, some as far as Spain, all of this fueled by the massive amount and quality of ore, so high that on many occasions it was said to be practically pure, metallic silver.

in 1526-  the town was given special privileges called "Akt Wolności Górniczej" (The Miners’ Freedom Act.) This revolutionary document awarded freedom to any peasant who chose to become a miner in the area. 

In 1528, "Ordunek Górny" (the Mining Ordinance) strongly promoting farther exploration and offering a high percentage of profits to miners, was proclaimed and sparked a period of an explosive growth and prosperity. 

By the mid-16th century Tarnowskie Góry became the largest mining center in Upper Silesia and one of the largest in Europe; the combined length of main tunnels (main tunnels were the passages with clearance of over 2 metres (6 feet 7 inches) in height) constructed under the 1sq mile of old town alone, exceed 160 km, still, representing only a small fraction of a total underground system.

In 1803 one of world's first schools of mining was initiated and, during following few decades, many new factories and businesses opened. During that period, the town square and two main streets were paved, gas lighting illuminated the town and a sewage system was installed.

In 1857 the first railroad, leading to Opole, reached the town and eight years later Warsaw-Vienna line cut-through as well. By the end of the 19th century Tarnowskie Góry was well on its way to becoming the second largest marshaling yard in Europe.

In the beginning of the 20th century, the source of the silver ore dried out and the mining stopped completely. Soon after the end of the WW1 mandated by the Versailles Treaty, the Silesian Plebiscite was held, and an overwhelming majority of the Upper Silesia region voted for integration with newly independent Poland. 

 The Historic Silver Mine, ( Zabytkowa Kopalnia Srebra), is a mining museum in Tarnowskie Góry, in Silesia in Poland. The mine and the neighbouring Black Trout Adit are remnants of a silver mining industry. The museum is an Anchor point on the European Route of Industrial Heritage. 

Postcard from Tarnowskie Góry 

Mining industry had to wrestle with the problem of water flooding workings. To prevent it in 1788 the first steam engine was brought from England by count Friedrich Wilhelm von Reden. The other way to drain workings was digging adits which piped the water using the difference of level. There were 8 adits in Tarnowskie Góry. A 600-meter-part of one of them is available for tourists–Black Trout Adit.

Brochures of the Black Trout Adit 

The mining industry ceased in 1912, leaving underground 150 km of adits and galleries. The Black Trout Adit, part of the Deep Adit Fryderyk, was the first to be exploited for tourism. In 1957, it was opened as a 600 metre long boat tour. The Historic silver mine opened in 1976. The visit in Historic Silver Mines starts in a interactive museum where tourists get the knowledge of methods of silver, lead and zinc ore extraction as well as underground mine drainage. Then tourists go underground. The trail is 1,749 meters long; 270 meters are travelled by boats.

The Historic Silver mines have been included in the UNESCO list recently ! 

Thanks Wojtek and Waldek for this cover and postcards :) hope you had a great weekend there and also great time at the historic silver mines ! 

My wish list for places to visit - when I plan a holiday in Poland seems to be growing :))