Shaft L-III, named "Bolesław", is the historic first shaft of the Polish copper mining industry, the site where the first ore was raised on 20 March 1963.
Shaft L-III, known by its formal name szyb "Bolesław", is an exhaust ventilation, personnel, materials and backfill shaft of Zakłady Górnicze Lubin, the oldest copper ore mine in the Legnica-Głogów Copper District. It holds a singular historical position as the first shaft sunk in the entire LGOM copper basin and the shaft from which the first tonne of copper ore was raised on 20 March 1963, marking the practical beginning of Polish copper mining at Lubin. The shaft was sunk for 1,138 days using the ground-freezing method — a pioneering application of that technique on an international scale at the time.
It reached its design depth of 754 metres by 30 December 1963. Named to honour Bolesław Sztukowski, chief engineer of the mine construction enterprise, the shaft was described at the time of a 50th anniversary commemoration in 2013 as a historic object.
Shaft L-III, formally known as szyb "Bolesław", is the first shaft to have been sunk in the entire Legnica-Głogów Copper District and the shaft from which the first copper ore in the LGOM was raised on 20 March 1963. It is an exhaust ventilation, personnel, materials and backfill shaft of Zakłady Górnicze Lubin.
Sinking of L-III began in March 1960, immediately following the establishment of Zakłady Górnicze "Lubin" as a mine under construction on 1 January 1960. The construction enterprise was Przedsiębiorstwo Budowy Kopalń Rudy Miedzi (later renamed PeBeKa S.A.), which was appointed general contractor for the project. PeBeKa records the drilling of 43 freeze holes under the future L-III on 8 June 1960 as a key preparatory step. The first bucket of spoil was raised from the shaft on 19 November 1960.
The sinking method applied was ground freezing, which at that time was a pioneering application on an international scale. The shaft was sunk through more than 400 metres of water-bearing overburden, for which the freezing method was the only viable approach. In July 1961, during sinking, the shaft was flooded, requiring recovery work before drilling could resume. Ground freezing continued and the sinking crew overcame the ingress.
On 12 March 1963 the crew reached the copper ore body, with the formal official raising of the first tonne of ore taking place eight days later, on 20 March 1963, in the presence of a government delegation. The ore was found at depths of 606 to 608 metres. The first eyewitness account came from Jan Ulrych (also recorded as Ulrich), the first shaft manager, who described seeing large veins of copper sulphides in a block of dolomite. The event was subsequently commemorated as the foundational moment of the Polish copper industry in the LGOM.
By 30 December 1963, after 1,138 days of work, L-III became the first shaft in the entire LGOM to reach its design depth of 754 metres. This was described as a major technical and organisational achievement. The shaft was named "Bolesław" in honour of inż. Bolesław Sztukowski, chief engineer of Przedsiębiorstwo Budowy Kopalń Rudy Miedzi.
In 1967, szyb "Bolesław" was connected by a transport link to the main field of the future mine. The mine was officially handed over for production on 19 July 1968. The shaft's functions per the Wikipedia article on ZG Lubin are ventilation, materials, personnel and backfill, making it operationally significant across multiple service categories during the mine's working life.
In 2013, on the 50th anniversary of the first ore raising, a formal commemorative gathering was held by the Stowarzyszenie Inżynierów i Techników Górnictwa at which the shaft was described as a historic object. Representatives of mine management and former employees who had participated in the original works attended. A presentation reviewed the history of LGOM resources and the changes in working conditions over the 50-year period.
A 2023 anniversary note by KGHM confirmed that the 60th anniversary of the first ore raising was marked in March 2023, and cited the account of Jan Urlich as a key historical record of the event.