Active ventilation and materials shaft of KWK Staszic-Wujek colliery, Katowice, equipped with headframe and backfill bridge.
Szyb IV is a ventilation, materials and backfill shaft of the Kopalnia Węgla Kamiennego Staszic, a hard coal colliery in the Giszowiec district of Katowice. The mine was planned in 1957–1958 on the previously unexploited Reserve mining field, formally established as an enterprise on 1 January 1959, and officially opened for production on 20 July 1964. Szyb IV, with a depth of 655 metres, was sunk alongside Shafts III and V as one of three ventilation and materials shafts constructed during the mine-building phase of the early to mid-1960s.
It is located in the vicinity of ul. Kolista, on territory technically belonging to the neighbouring KWK Wieczorek mining area. Backfill equipment at the shaft was commissioned in 1968.
Szyb IV continues to serve an active operational role as a ventilation, materials and backfill shaft for the Ruch Murcki-Staszic of the current KWK Staszic-Wujek. A headframe and backfill bridge structure are present at the surface.
Kopalnia Węgla Kamiennego Staszic was conceived in 1956–1957 when Katowickie Zjednoczenie Przemysłu Węglowego identified the previously unexploited Reserve mining field, situated partly on the territory of the Giszowiec settlement, as the site for a new colliery. The mine design was approved on 5 February 1958 by the Główna Komisja Oceny Projektów Inwestycyjnych of the Ministry of Mining and Energy. On 2 October 1958 the Ministry established the Giszowiec mining area of 11.987 km² for the new enterprise.
The state enterprise Kopalnia Węgla Kamiennego Staszic w budowie was formally constituted on 1 January 1959. Shaft sinking began on 3 January 1959. General construction was carried out by Przedsiębiorstwo Budowlane Przemysłu Węglowego in Katowice, with underground works executed first by Przedsiębiorstwo Robót Górniczych in Mysłowice and subsequently by Przedsiębiorstwo Budowy Szybów in Bytom.
The primary shafts I and II were sunk first, along with the administrative building, which was completed in 1960. In 1962 driving of the 500-metre extraction level began. In 1963 a steel trestle (kozłowa) headframe was installed over Shaft II, the extraction level at 500 metres was completed, and the first section of the welfare block was commissioned.
Construction of the bath-house, lamp room, and rescue station was completed in 1964. The mine was formally handed over for production on 20 July 1964. Szyb IV, with a finished depth of 655 metres, was one of three ventilation and materials shafts — numbered III, IV and V — sunk simultaneously as part of the mine-building programme during the mid-1960s.
It is situated in the vicinity of ul. Kolista, on territory technically belonging to the neighbouring KWK Wieczorek mining field. Backfill equipment at the shaft was commissioned in 1968.
The 720-metre extraction level was brought into operation on 5 December 1970. Output grew steadily; the mine reached its peak production of 4.6 million tonnes in 1988. Shaft III was liquidated in 2004.
In June 1993 KWK Staszic entered the Katowicki Holding Węglowy group. On 31 December 2009 the mine was merged with KWK Murcki, and from 1 January 2010 the combined enterprise operated as KWK Murcki-Staszic with a Ruch Boże Dary and a Ruch Staszic. The Ruch Boże Dary was transferred progressively to Spółka Restrukturyzacji Kopalń in July and October 2015.
On 1 April 2017 the KHW collieries, including KWK Murcki-Staszic, were transferred to Polska Grupa Górnicza. On 1 January 2021 KWK Murcki-Staszic was merged with KWK Wujek to form KWK Staszic-Wujek, operating as Ruch Murcki-Staszic. Szyb IV remains an active ventilation, materials and backfill shaft of the Ruch Murcki-Staszic, equipped with a headframe and a backfill bridge structure (most zsypowy) at the surface.