The mining regions in the post-industrial transformation of Upper Silesia

Abstract

In a few last decades the mining industry is gradually becoming a thing of the past. Mines are being closed down one by one and the whole mining regions are liquidated. More than two hundred years of history of the Silesian mining industry has left a great number of industrial monuments. The obsolete post-industrial infrastructure is nowadays becoming one of the sights of the region, attracting many visitors. It can co-create the multifunctionality of the Silesian region as a tourist attraction and take part in its restructuring. In Silesia, as in many European regions, mainly local communities and organizations deal with preservation and protection of the historic industrial structures. This article shows the examples of such activities and presents the historic mines, which are accessible to the tourists in the Silesian region. It also illustrates some other possibilities of using the mining structures, apart from tourism.