Důl Michal

Michal Mine - Michal Colliery

Useful Information

Location:	Československé armády 413/95, Ostrava. East of the city center. (49.842129, 18.344750)
Open:	25-MAY to JUN daily 9-16. JUL to AUG daily 9-17. SEP Tue-Sun 9-16:30. OCT Tue-Sun 9-15. [2020]
Fee:	Miner’s Journey To Work: Adults CZK 120, Children (6-18) CZK 80, Children (0-5) free, Seniors (65+) CZK 80, Students CZK 80, Family (2+3) CZK 290. Groups (15+): Adults CZK 90. Miner’s Journey To Work in : Adults CZK 170, Children (6-18) CZK 120, Children (0-5) free, Seniors (65+) CZK 120, Students CZK 120, Family (2+3) CZK 450. Groups (15+): Adults CZK 140. Areal And Merkur Building: Adults CZK 50, Children (6-18) CZK 40, Children (0-5) free, Seniors (65+) CZK 40, Family (2+3) CZK 130. Groups (15+): Adults CZK 40. Areal: Adults CZK 30, Children (0-5) free. Nocturnal Tour: Adults CZK 130, Children (0-5) free. Reservation required. [2020]
Classification:	Coal Mine
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:
Guided tours:	Miner’s Journey To Work: Areal And Merkur Building: D=80 min, Max=20. Areal: Nocturnal Tour:
Photography:
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Důl Michal, Československé armády 413/95, 715 00 Ostrava, Tel: +420-596-231-160, Tel: +420-596-240-621. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1843	Austrian state mining fund opens Michalkovice pit No. 3.
1856	mine passed into ownership of the Ferdinand Northern Railway Company.
1912–1915	mine fully renovated, making it the most modern and progressive, fully electrified mine.
1945	nationalisation of the colliery.
1946	mine renamed after Petr Cingr, a left-wing leader in Ostrava region and a Socia-Democratic deputy of the Austrian Rechtstag.
JUN-1993	mine closed.
1994	Industrial Museum in Ostrava founded by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.
1995	backfilling completed, declared a national cultural monument.
2000	Industrial Museum closed, show mine opened to the public.

Geology

Description

Ostrava is an old coal mining town at the Czech/Poland border and has several show mines. Důl Michal (Michael Colliery) was named after the imperial adviser Michael Layer. It was opened as Michalkovice pit No. 3 by the Austrian state mining fund in 1843. It was owned by the Severní dráhy Ferdinandovy (Ferdinand Northern Railway Company), which built and operated a railway leading from Vienna through Ostrava to the Polish salt mines, from 1856 to 1945. As a result of the nationalisation in 1945 it was renamed after Petr Cingr, a left-wing leader in the Ostrava region and a Socia-Democratic deputy of the Austrian Rechtstag. The name has changed several times but finally as a show mine it was renamed to its first name.

The Cesta havíře do práce (A Miner’s Path To Work) is the regular tour which is offered daily. It follows the daily routine of the miner to his workplace. In the checkroom he received the necessary equipment and gear. He walked to the chain locker room where he pulled his clothes with long chains to the ceiling, it was the dressing room with bathroom and showers. Through the office building he reached the lamp room where he picked a lamp, then through a connecting bridge to the mining building, where the miners boarded the mining cages. The tour also includes an exhibition and the guildhall.

The Venkovní prohlídka a Merkur (Areal and the Exhibition of Merkur Building) is an outdoor tour of the mining site, with an explanation of the various buildings, the tunnel portal, the steam locomotives, and the old subway station. The highlight is the exhibition of the Merkur building, which contains an exhibition of model sets. The stavebnice Merkur. (Merkur kit) is a set of metal elements with holes, plates, and screws. The set is intended to allow the construction of buildings and machinery. Similar to Lego, just made of metal, the set allows the construction of miniature mining buildings and machinery, and it was used extensively for this purpose. The exhibition is not only educational bt also funny. It is also possible to do this tour self guided, which takes about two hours, including a visit to the various exhibitions.

The Noční prohlídka (Nocturnal Tour) is only available on special dates or after reservation for groups. There are other special events, offered all over the summer.

There is also a tour with the weird name Hrazeno Moravskoslezským krajem (Paid by the Moravian-Silesian Region). It is offered for free, as the cost is actually paid by the Moravian-Silesian government, hence the name. It show the typical workday of miners working in the engine room. Highlight is obviously the steam engine.