Mecsek Mining Exhibitions

The Central Mining Museum's exhibitions presenting the mining of the Mecsek are summarized under the name Mecsek Mining Exhibitions.

Coal Mining

We have known about black coal deposits in the Mecsek mountain area since roughly 1769. Coal extraction was already started in the 18th century. The cokeable coal was produced, marketed and utilized by the First Danube Shipping Company (DGT) from 1850 for 100 years using large‑scale industrial methods. From the last quarter of the 19th century the company also preserved the characteristic tools and documents of mining work. The collection was shown, among others, at the Pécs exhibitions (1888) and the Millennium Exhibition (1896), as well as at the Paris World Exhibition (1900). After 1945 the collection was cared for by the companies working in Mecsek mining (Mecsek Coal Mines, Mecsek Ore Mining Company, Mining Explosives Company), now collecting not only the memory of coal mining but also of uranium mining.

Mecsek Mining Museum

The Pécs Mining Collection (called Mecsek Mining Museum since 1982) was opened in 1974 in the former headquarters of the DGT (Pécs, Mária u. 9.). Currently two exhibitions operate.

Mining History Exhibition and Library, József Attila u. 5.

The historical exhibition also highlights the events of the fifty‑year‑long annual uranium mining. In the same place a mineral and rock collection was also installed.

Underground Mining Exhibition, Káptalan u. 3.

At the beginning of the 20th century it was planned to create an underground demonstration mine model using the city’s pincer system, but this special exhibition site was only opened in 1981 as the Permanent Underground Exhibition with the reopening of the approximately 400 m long and 1000 m² area, 8–10 m deep pincer system. The “mine in the heart of the city” can be approached via the stairs from Káptalan Street. Since 2004 the permanent exhibition has been operated by the Central Mining Museum as part of the Mecsek Mining Collection – it received its new name at that time. The exhibition can be seen in the building of the Pécs Mining Chapter at Rét u. 23.

Uranium Mining

The Uranium Ore Mining Exhibition was set up in 1997 in Kővágószőlős, in the former central school building (Rákóczi St. 54). The presented material is closely related to the exhibition sites in Pécs, and for a comprehensive picture it is advisable to view all three.