Former deep coal mine shaft forming part of a preserved heritage complex declared a Czech cultural monument in 2001.
Důl Alexander (jáma 1), the principal winding shaft of the Alexander colliery in Ostrava-Kunčičky, was sunk from 1896 by the Severní dráha Ferdinandova (SDF) company on the cadastre of the village of Malé Kunčice, later renamed Kunčičky. The mine took its name from Count Alexander Pallavicini, president of the SDF board between 1888 and 1910. Coal extraction from the Jaklovecké and Hrušovské seams began in 1898, with annual output ranging between 108,000 and 305,000 tonnes.
In 1926 the colliery was merged with the neighbouring Zárubek mine and jáma 1 became a winding shaft for the combined operation. Mining continued until 31 December 1992, at which point the shaft had reached a final depth of 945 metres. Jáma 1 was backfilled in 1993.
The surface complex, built in a Baroque château-court composition with decorative brick headframe buildings and a prominent chimney stack, was designated a Czech cultural monument on 24 September 2001. Restoration work was carried out between 2015 and 2016, returning the headframe building to its 1992 appearance. The Charita Sv.
Alexandra charity organisation now operates from within the preserved complex.
The Alexander colliery stands on the eastern side of the Frýdlantská railway line in Kunčičky, approximately two kilometres south of the older Vilém mine. Prospecting drifts driven southward from Vilém established promising coal seams in the area, and SDF secured its first mining concessions in 1892. Construction of the new mine began in 1896, and the colliery was opened with two central shafts — a winding shaft designated jáma 1 and a ventilation shaft designated jáma 2 — positioned one hundred metres apart, each sunk with a circular cross-section.
Sinking of jáma 1, the principal winding shaft, progressed through 1896 and 1897. By the end of 1897 it had reached a depth of 249.5 metres. The surface buildings at jáma 1 were constructed to a unified architectural scheme that adapted Baroque château-court composition to industrial use. A central chimney stack and boiler house formed the principal axis, flanked by the headframe buildings of both shafts with decorative historicist elements including balustrades and corner urns. Engine houses accommodating steam winding engines stood on either side of the boiler house. The original winding engine at jáma 1 had drums of 5,000 mm diameter and 950 mm width, with a cage speed of 5 m/s for personnel and 12 m/s for coal. The headframe, built for a shaft depth of 550 metres by the firm Strojírny hraběte Salma in Blansko, measured 30.3 metres from collar to winding-wheel centre, with wheels of 4,000 mm diameter.
Coal extraction from the Jaklovecké and Hrušovské seams of the Ostrava formation began in 1898. By 1916 the mine achieved its peak annual output of 305,000 tonnes, and the highest workforce figure of 1,191 employees was recorded in 1921. Between 1898 and 1926, total extracted tonnage amounted to approximately 5,910,960 tonnes. Underground water management was handled jointly with the neighbouring mines Vilém and Hermenegild, with mine water conveyed by crosscut to the central water shaft of the Hermenegild mine for pumping. On the fourth level, a double-piston pump capable of 250 litres per minute was installed in 1914 by Královopolské strojírny in Brno; a centrifugal pump of 1,000 litres per minute was added on the fifth level in 1922 by the same supplier.
In 1913 the original architectural composition was partially disrupted by the construction of a coal washing and preparation plant between the two headframe buildings. In 1926 jáma 1 was further modified: the original engine house was replaced by a new facility equipped with an electric winding engine supplied by Škoda Plzeň, and the headframe was replaced. The shaft was deepened to 580.5 metres. From 1 August 1926, following the organisational merger with Důl Zárubek (Hermenegild), the Alexander colliery became an auxiliary mine. The coal-bearing field was thereafter worked from the Zárubek side underground, while Alexander jáma 1 continued to serve as a winding shaft for the combined operation.
A further modification occurred in 1976, when the lowest portion of the Alexander workings, together with its remaining coal reserves, was reassigned to Důl Louis/Jeremenko at Vítkovice. Both Alexander shafts were then converted to ventilation duties and fitted with new axial fans. The level at −700 metres became the ventilation horizon, connected to the deepest working level of jáma 1. The shaft was ultimately deepened to a final depth of 945 metres.
Coal winding from jáma 1 ceased on 31 December 1992 in accordance with the regional output reduction programme. The shaft was backfilled in 1993. Surface structures not required for any future use were demolished in 1993 and 1994, including the coal preparation plant. The surviving buildings — the jáma 1 headframe building, the jáma 2 headframe building, the administrative building, the compressor house, the carriage house, and the bathhouse — were designated Czech cultural monuments on 30 June 1993 under register number 10423/8-3329. Ownership of the preserved complex was transferred to the state enterprise DIAMO under its ODRA branch from 1 January 2002.
Between 2007 and 2013, several of the secondary buildings were progressively transferred to new occupants. The Charita Sv. Alexandra established its presence in the surviving complex. Restoration of the two headframe buildings was carried out by DIAMO between November 2015 and November 2016 at a cost of approximately 7.9 million CZK excluding VAT for the jáma 1 headframe building alone. The jáma 1 building was returned to its 1992 appearance, while jáma 2 was restored to its 1901 state. The colliery complex was additionally recognised as a cultural monument by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic on 24 September 2001. The complex continues to be known informally as the "mining Versailles" of Ostrava for its exceptional Baroque-inspired architectural ensemble.