Coal Mining Museum of Slovenia

Contact

This logo is missing!

If you have it, please email it to us.

Muzej premogovništva Slovenije, Velenje

Stari jašek-Koroška cesta, SI-3320 Velenje

http://muzej.rlv.si

trgovina@rlv.si

Phone386 (0) 3 587 0997

Managed byPremogovnik Velenje d d

The Coal Mining Museum of Slovenia was originally established in 1957 at Velenje Castle as a joint venture of the Velenje Coal Mine, Municipality of Velenje and Velenje Museum. In 1998 the Museum moved to its current location, the abandoned underground workings of the Škale pit below Velenje Power Station which, when built in 1929, was the largest and most important power station in the province of the Drava. The first ton of coal was extracted in May 1887 and the Old Shaft was sunk in 1889. Designed by experts from Velenje Museum, the Museum is managed by Velenje Coal Mine, the largest and most state-of-the-art coal mine in Slovenia with an annual production of four million tons of lignite.

Visit

A visit to the museum is divided into two parts. The first is a guided tour of the underground mine workings, where visitors learn of the formation, discovery and digging of coal in the past and today. All visitors are given a coal miner's lunch and ride on the transport line and underground railway. The second part involves the viewing of a permanent collection about the development of Slovene coal mining. All of Slovenia's coal mines are presented and displays include: a typical coal miner's apartment – kitchen, living room and bedrooms – presented with furnishings from the period 1920–1930. Part of exhibition is showing miners customs called 'skok čez kožo' (jump over the skin) that stands for inauguration of young miners going to the mine for the first time. Greeting "Good luck" gets new meaning before entering the shafts.

The museum incorporates an Industrial-Ecological Museum Instruction Centre (IEMIC) which offers a range of educational programmes to schools and community groups.

International cooperation and awards

The Slovene Coal Mining Museum collaborates with Austrian mining museum Bad Bleiberg in project Terra Mistica which was supported by Phare Programme. For conservation of cultural and technical heritage the Coal Mining Museum of Slovenia received Ford Motor Company conservation and Enviromental Grants Programme award in year 2000. For outstanding achievements they were specially commended by The Committee for European Museum of the Year Award in 2001.

See also

• Velenje Museum
• Velenje Castle
• Velenje Gallery
• Velenje Artists' Colony

Other mine museums in Slovenia

• Idrija Mine Museum
• Mežica Lead and Zinc Mine Museum
• Mining and Ethnographic Collection, Črna na Koroškem
• Miner's House - Ethnological Collection
• Iron-making, Mining and Palaeontologic Collection in Bucelleni-Ruard Manor, Jesenice

External links

• Coal Mining Museum of Slovenia
• VR Panoramas of Coal Mining Museum of Slovenija on Virtual Guide to Slovene Museums and Galleries
• 6 Pack Čukur Velenje Mine anthem