Gold mine – located in Złoty Stok in the Lower Silesian Voivodship in Poland. It is estimated that during the 700 years of operation of the local deposits 16t of pure gold was collected.
The history of gold exploitation in the Golden Stok is the first millennium A.D. Since then, up to now, 300 km of tunnels, shafts and sidewalks have been dug up to 21 levels.
The largest gold mining boom occurred in the Złoty Stok at the beginning of the 16th century. In 1507, was moved here from Ząbkowice Śląskie, The mint princely, and started to produced with gold ducats. In the second decade of the 16th century, European mining and metallurgical companies began to invest here. At that time, nearly two hundred of gold mines provided about 8% of the total European gold production.
Gold from the Złoty Stok had a significant share in world history. The Fuggers family, long-time owners of local mines and steel mills, supported their gold with the Spanish queen Izabela, who could finance the expedition of Christopher Columbus, the discovery of America.
This was the world’s first explosions of rocks by help of black gunpowder (1612)
During the entire mining period, ie over 700 years, about 16 tonnes of pure gold were produced in Złoty Stok. Since the beginning of the 18th century, the main product of the gold mines and steel works became arsenic, gold was only a by-product. In 1961, the mines were finally closed.
After 35 years it “revived” again – on May 28, 1996 was opened the Underground Tourism Route in “Gold Mine”. So far, was started some of the most interesting old excavations: “Sztolnia Gertruda” and “Sztolnia Czarna Górna” with the only uderground waterfall in Poland (8 m high) and since 2007 “Sztolnia Czarna dolina”.
