Monument to the fallen miners of the Makoszowy Mine

The memorial to the miners who died in the fire at the Makoszowy mine in 1958 stands in Zabrze-Makoszowy on Makoszowska Street, opposite the main gate of the mine. It was unveiled on 31 August 2008, on the 50th anniversary of the disaster. The author of the monument is Oliwia Dybioch.

The disaster of 28 August 1958

The fire broke out at night, at about 1:00, on the 300-metre level. It was started by work with an acetylene torch cutting a rail: the timber lining of a cross-cut caught fire, and then the coal. 337 miners were in the danger zone. Escape was hampered by smoke, and the self-rescuers issued to the crew worked for about 20 minutes, which in this case was not enough.

72 miners died and 87 suffered severe poisoning. The investigation pointed, among other things, to leaking dams separating the escape routes, poor organisation of work and errors in the command of the rescue operation.

The mine and its history

The mine was established in the first years of the 20th century as Delbrück, south of the Guido mine, and produced coking coal. It has borne its present name since April 1945. The 1958 disaster is described as the most tragic in its history.

Practical information

• Address: Makoszowska Street, Zabrze-Makoszowy, opposite the main gate of the mine.
• The monument stands by the street and is visible from the outside. It is worth checking the information on the plaques and the state of the surroundings on site.