We promise you mountains of gold (“the moon”)- this is the slogan of the Złoty Stok mine that invites you to visit it. We must admit that you certainly cannot complain about a lack of attractions here. Visitors can visit the Gertruda Adit and the Upper Black Adit, with Poland’s only underground waterfall, from which they can ride a special orange tram. Underground, we will also meet figures of miners, a mad alchemist or gnomes.
Young and old alike will certainly enjoy rafting, casting commemorative gold bars, minting gold coins, panning for gold or the diamond field with hidden minerals. An interesting option, for young people as well as adults, is a mine tour with a storyline. The whole game consists of forming teams, who are then given a map with which to find the lost treasures.
One of the most interesting attractions belonging to the mine is the Ochrowa Adit, where there is a winding tunnel of more than 130 metres. Here we can find a flooded old shaft from which a system of medieval wooden drainage pipes is detached. As a curiosity, it is worth mentioning that the adit also contains a spring of mineral water, which german doctors of World War I estimated to accelerate the healing of wounds and improve health in case of anaemia.
Mining in Złoty Stok can boast a tradition of more than a thousand years. The biggest boom in gold mining was at the beginning of the 16th century, when 190 adits and 20 smelting plants were established. The Złoty Stok mine was modernised at the beginning of the 20th century. It was not damaged during World War II. It was not destroyed during World War II and was not closed until 1961. The underground tourist route in the mine was created in 1996.
