1098 As far as raw materials are concerned, mines of all raw materials that have been important to humans for centuries are available to tourists: rock materials, salt, copper, tin, iron, lead, silver and gold, hard coal, crude oil, precious stones and uranium. Of the raw materials that are currently considered strategic and critical, you can see some old mines for fluorite, cobalt, manganese, magnesite, nickel, bauxite, borax or feldspar. However, no one has yet developed mines for rare earth metals, lithium, titanium, boron, tungsten, or platinum for tourism purposes. This is probably a song of the future. The forms of exploitation and geological conditions have a significant impact on the possibilities of opening the facilities to tourists and maintaining them. For example, only five deep coal mines are open to tourists (one each in Poland, Belgium, and Spain, and two in the United Kingdom). The remaining tourist hard coal mines are only accessible via adits. This is due to both safety considerations and, above all, maintenance costs: drainage, ventilation, and shaft operation. Below, we present a classification of different types of tourist mining facilities in terms of their protection, accessibility, and comprehensive development, based on our own observations. We deliberately omit the aspect of using mine workings for various storage purposes, for scientific and research facilities, or for surface nature restoration, such as the creation of water bodies, afforestation, etc., which are a form of creating a new anthropogenic landscape. It should be noted that many facilities sometimes combine several of the functions listed below. 1. Traditional, classic museums with exhibitions, often in preserved above-ground mining infrastructure. 2. Mines that are not so much post-industrial facilities as archaeological sites, mining reserves where traces of prehistoric, ancient or medieval mining have been preserved (they are often only accessible to tourists to a limited extent, and archaeological excavations are carried out by universities and scientific institutes). 3. Medieval and early modern mines where exploitation has ended long time ago and they have been closed down, naturally silted up and are being rediscovered, excavated and recovered again. Such activities are mainly carried out by local enthusiasts who form associations aimed at commemorating local history and maintaining or restoring mining traditions. 4. Mines that are no longer in operation - relatively recently closed (within the last 100 years) with existing above-ground infrastructure or its remains. They usually offer tours of varying degrees of difficulty, from those safe for mass tourism to “adventure” tours. 5. Spa-type facilities - these are usually separate parts of a larger complex made available for spa, sanatorium, and therapeutic and recreational purposes. 6. Former mines made available for “qualified” tourism, i.e., for those seeking adventure, adrenaline, physical exertion, and often a certain amount of risk. These mines feature so-called monkey bars, zip lines, climbing walls, and climbing ladders or ropes. They also include mines with flooded workings, where you can dive more or less safely or practice caving. This group also includes sites that are not developed for tourism but are explored by geologists, mining enthusiasts, and adventure seekers (some are closed with secured entrances, while others are completely “wild”). 7. The original above-ground complexes of buildings preserved in the form of an open-air museum - include shaft towers, ore processing plants (sorting plants, crushing plants, flotation plants), workshops, chain baths, railways, administrative buildings, mine management palaces, and housing estates. In most cases, the mines in these locations are not accessible due to collapse or flooding. This group also includes so-called ghost towns – completely abandoned by miners and residents or reopened to visitors.
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