1097 27. Spain and Slovenia Heritage of Mercury. Almaden and Idrija 28. Sweden Mining Area of the Great Copper Mountain in Falun 29. United Kingdom Blaenavon Industrial Landscape 30. United Kingdom Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape 31. United Kingdom The Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales These entries reflect the growing interest in the need to protect industrial heritage, including mines. In recent years, modern societies have begun to realize that the vast majority of the devices we use every day come from minerals extracted from the ground by miners. Mining sites are also attracting the interest of not only history and technology enthusiasts, but are also becoming a mass tourist attraction. According to the information we have collected and the database we have created, there are over 1,000 places around the world where mining heritage is protected and made accessible. Of course, the forms of protection, development, and accessibility vary greatly depending on the continent, climate, and mineral that was mined. There are many different forms of development of mining facilities. They also vary greatly in scale – underground, from single adits several dozen meters long to underground excavations and sequences of chambers several kilometers long. Above ground, they range from single shaft towers to entire mining complexes and abandoned towns. The forms of access also depend on the mining regulations in force in a given country, and these vary greatly. They range from the “overprotectiveness” of state mining authorities towards tourist mines (as is the case in Poland or Switzerland, where safety rules for tourism in mines are very restrictive) to the “at your own risk” principle for facility owners and visitors (as is the case, for example, in Australia, in Bolivia, the United Kingdom, or the United States). The most visited mines by tourists are rock salt mines. The leader in this respect is the „Wieliczka” Salt Mine mentioned at the beginning. Other mines that are visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists every year include the mines in Romania: Salina Turda (minicipal-private company) and the Salina Praid and Salina Slanic Prahova, owned by the Salrom state company, the famous Austrian mines in Hallstatt and Hallein, the Salt Mine in Berchtesgaden in Germany, the Salt Mine in Bex in Switzerland, the Strataca Mine in Kansas/USA, and the Khewra Mine in Pakistan. This is due, among other things, to the high safety of the often huge post-mining voids, which are the main attraction of these mines. The world map shows that the distribution of mining museums is very uneven. Europe is definitely the leader in the protection and accessibility of mining heritage. In Germany alone, over 200 of mining sites have already been developed for tourism, making it the undisputed leader in Europe. About 70 sites have been opened to the public in Italy, and about 30 mines have also been opened in Poland, Spain, Austria, and the Scandinavian countries. Several sites have been opened to the public in France, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. Development is significantly weaker in the Balkans and Eastern Europe. In all former Soviet countries, no more than 10 mines have been developed for tourism. On other continents, the United States leads the way in the preservation and opening of mining heritage, with around 80 sites turned into museums and opened to the public, most of them in Colorado (around 20). Very interesting sites have also been opened in Canada (around 30), Australia (around 20), Japan (about 10), and South Korea (7). Many countries, despite their rich mining history, have not yet opened any mining sites to the public or have only been working on such projects for several years, seeking knowledge and inspiration in Europe. Such countries include China, India, and Arab countries. In India and China, there are about 15 such newly opened sites, mainly hard coal mines. Across the African continent, there are only six mines open to tourists, but none of them has a mining museum. In South America, there are about 25 such facilities, and in Central America another 25, but their accessibility is sometimes limited, sometimes dangerous, and most of the facilities have not been turned into museums.
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