The Guido Mine – Underground Tourist Route – Level 320:

The Guido Mine will be visited by the conference participants on Wednesday, 24.05.2023 immediately after the end of the conference without having to leave the mine by lift („szola”). However, it is already worth paying attention to the buildings belonging to the above-ground part of the complex - the shaft building of the "Railway" shaft, excavated in 1890, the 26-metre high steel tower which dominates the surroundings and the machine room where the hoisting machine "Berlin" from 1927 still operates. The miner's three-storey lift, called „shola”, takes the group down at quite a speed of 4 metres per second.

After the conference proceedings in Zone K8, the group will hike, accompanied by guides, along a 2.5 km route on level 320, i.e. 320 metres underground. The route covers the corridors, galleries and workings of the mine, which were created and exploited from the late 19th century to the present day. The guide will tell the story of the emergence of coal seams in Upper Silesia millions of years ago, about the establishment of the mine and its powerful owner, Prince Guido Henkel von Donnersmarck - advisor to German Chancellor Bismarck and one of the greatest industrial magnates of 19th century Europe. We will talk about the dangers of this coal mine, the work of the miners and the lives of other living creatures in the pits: horses, rats or canaries. The historic and contemporary methods of excavation will be presented, as well as the methods of securing the excavations with various types of supports (including wooden and anchored supports) and the ventilation methods. Tour participants will also see the coal itself on many occasions - in the raw form of a seam up to two metres thick. Among other things, you will descend into the depths of a pit inclined at an angle of 18 degrees and reach the mine face at a depth of 335 metres. There will be quite a lot of machinery to see - and you will be impressed by demonstrations of the operation of belt conveyors, large shearers - the AM50 roadheader and longwall shearer, which are still used in mining today, or other longwall drilling machines that will make a lot of noise . Along the way, you will pass a reservoir for 300 tonnes of excavated material and a mining gallery destroyed by the powerful forces of the rock mass. Towards the end of the tour, you will still be treated to a ride on the world's unique electric overhead railway, which takes 32 passengers at a time along a route of more than 400 metres. The group will then return to the K8 conference area and to the deepest pub in Europe, serving its own "Guido" beer.