Kopalnia Wujek
Encyclopedia
Katowice
Katowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Kłodnica and Rawa rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about north of the Silesian Beskids and about southeast of the Sudetes Mountains.It is the central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolis, with a population of 2...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. It is widely known in Poland as the place of the massacre of striking miners
Pacification of Wujek
The Pacification of Wujek was a strike-breaking action by the Polish police and army at the Wujek Coal Mine in Katowice, Poland, culminating in the massacre of nine striking miners on December 16, 1981....
in 1981 (most often referred-to by the euphemism 'Pacification').
Mining operations began in the vicinity as early as the 16th century. The "Oheim mine" (now called Wujek) was established in 1899 by a merger of six mining operations existing in Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
(then a part of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
). The German's called the mine Oheim. The peak Polish production was in 1979 (3.88 million tons that year).
Currently, the Wujek mine produces sub-bituminous coal
Sub-bituminous coal
Sub-bituminous coal is a type of coal whose properties range from those of lignite to those of bituminous coal and are used primarily as fuel for steam-electric power generation.- Properties:...
with a typical energy content of 30000-31000 kJ/kg, volatile content of 30-31%, ash content of less than 5%, and sulfur content of less than 0.6%.