Dawna Kopalnia (en. Former Mine)
Getting There and Parking at the Former Mine in Nowa Ruda
Accessing the Former Mine in Nowa Ruda is straightforward, although parking near the museum building may be a challenge for visitors. The parking area is small, unpaved, and lacks designated spots for disabled persons. During peak tourist season, spaces may fill up quickly, which can be problematic for wheelchair users.
First Impressions: Comparison with the Former Mine in Wałbrzych
Upon arrival at the Dawna Kopalnia in Nowa Ruda, first impressions may be less than exciting, especially for those who have previously visited the Former Mine in Wałbrzych. There, everything is modern, expansive, and tailored to tourism with considerable effort. By contrast, the Dawna Kopalnia in Nowa Ruda has a somewhat neglected appearance as a tourist attraction. Additionally, it cannot be said that any particular effort was made to facilitate accessibility for wheelchair users, as shown by the curbs surrounding the museum.
The Museum Building at the Nowa Ruda Mine
The main tour begins in the museum building, which is spacious and provides easy access to the restroom. On the upper floor, there is a themed exhibition related to the history of mining. Unfortunately, the exhibition is not accessible to disabled persons due to stairs and the lack of an elevator, which limits the opportunity to fully explore the facility.
Exploring the Former Mine in Nowa Ruda
The tour of the Nowa Ruda mine's history starts every hour and lasts about 70 minutes. It is recommended that wheelchair users have an assistant with them, which proves useful due to the mobility challenges within the mine's corridors.
Tour Division: Museum Section and Underground Section
Museum Section – The first stage includes exhibits related to coal formation and the history of mining. A particularly interesting attraction is a 3D display showing the plant life that existed 300 million years ago. The guide provides fascinating insights into mining and its evolution over the centuries. Visitors can also see the original mine dispatch room, which played a crucial role in coordinating mining operations as recently as the 20th century.
Underground Section – The second part of the tour takes place in a tunnel located about 100 meters from the museum. For wheelchair users, reaching this area requires traversing a steep path paved with large concrete slabs, where assistance from a helper is highly recommended.
Inside the tunnel, the ground is uneven and quite challenging. The temperature there is a constant 8 degrees Celsius. The tour itself is very engaging, and time passes quickly. The guide explains the intricacies of mining using authentic tools and operates machines that were recently used in this mine. Even the most uninformed visitors quickly realize how hard and dangerous work in the mine was. Enormous noise, dust, often uncomfortable working positions due to low coal seams, unfavorable temperatures, high humidity, and especially the risks of cave-ins and explosions are just a few of the challenges that miners from Nowa Ruda had to face daily. It is astonishing to realize that in the past, even children as young as seven worked in such conditions.
Challenges for Disabled Visitors
The most challenging part of navigating the mine for disabled visitors is the tourist-built mining corridor with a height of only 1.2 meters. Here, a wheelchair user without an assistant may have considerable difficulty. This section can be bypassed to continue the tour, although it takes about 15 minutes longer to detour around it.
Special Attractions: The Miner Spirit and the Mining Train
During the tour, visitors encounter a surprise – a meeting with the "Miner Spirit," a mysterious figure emerging from the mine's dark corridors. At the end of the tour, visitors can also ride an authentic mining train. Unfortunately, the narrow train cars are not adapted to accommodate wheelchair users.
Final Impressions
I consider the visit to the Dawna Kopalnia in Nowa Ruda to be a highly enjoyable and valuable experience. Despite the less-than-positive first impression, this tourist attraction may be fascinating not only to enthusiasts of industrial history.
It's heartening that such a valuable site is accessible, to some extent, for wheelchair users. However, it seems that during the creation of this museum, little thought was given to the needs of disabled persons, and the possibility of tours for individuals with severe mobility impairments likely occurred incidentally and was never part of the original plan.
