Queen Louise Mine Buildings in Zabrze

The Queen Louise mine buildings on Wolności Street in Zabrze are the surface part of a coal mine that produced coal until the end of the 1990s. Today they belong to the Coal Mining Museum in Zabrze and are one of the three sites of the Queen Louise Adit complex.

How the mine came about

The mine was founded in 1791 as “Królewska”, and its present name, Königin Luise Grube, was given to it in 1811 in memory of the late wife of King Frederick William III. In 1816 it supplied about a quarter of the coal mined in Upper Silesia. In 1846 it received one of the first railway sidings in Upper Silesia, and at the end of the 19th century it employed more than eight thousand miners. Production ended in 1998, after 207 years of work.

What remains on the surface

The most visible feature is the Carnall shaft with a 25-metre tower and a viewing platform, once served by a historic steam engine from 1915. On Wolności Street there is also a chain-hanging bathhouse (łaźnia łańcuszkowa) from 1890, in which exhibitions, catering and a visitor service point now operate; it has its own separate card, the Queen Louise Mine bathhouse building in Zabrze. The exhibitions tell the history of the mine in 1791-1998, the electrical switchgear room and a collection of miners' lamps.

Underground routes and the surroundings

Underground, the routes in operation are the tourist route, the family route and the water route, with an underground boat trip. The museum's second large site is the Guido Historic Coal Mine, merged with the Coal Mining Museum into a single institution in 2013. In 2020 the adit became part of the historic monument “Zabrze - the complex of historic coal mines”.

Practical information

• Address: ul. Wolności 410, Zabrze.
• Visits to the underground routes are organised by the museum; the rules and current opening hours are given on the website of the Coal Mining Museum.
• The other parts of the complex lie on Mochnackiego and Miarki streets, so before a visit check which gate your ticket is for.