Kopalnia Doświadczalna Barbara Mikołów · Województwo śląskie · Poland

The site on ul. Podleska in Mikołów has a mining history extending from the mid-nineteenth century. An increase in coal demand led to the opening of Kopalnia „Anna" in approximately 1850 in the Zarzecze area of Mikołów. The mine extracted coking coal and went through multiple cycles of closure and reopening in the following decades. The original site is associated with the estate of the Książęta Pszczyńscy (Princes of Pszczyna).

In 1920 the Dyrekcja Kopalń Księcia Pszczyńskiego opened a new colliery in the area of the former „Anna" workings in Zarzecze. The Wyższy Urząd Górniczy in Wrocław approved the name „Barbara" for the mine on 12 January 1921. Production was modest from the outset, reaching only approximately 15,000 tonnes per year. The absence of a rail connection meant that coal was transported from the mine by road — by lorry and horse-drawn cart. A shaft was begun in the Gniotek district of Mikołów with the intention of constructing a coal preparation plant and a railway siding connecting to the Katowice–Tychy line, but these works were not completed. On 21 August 1924 the mine ceased production and was placed on a care and maintenance footing.

Following the post-war partition of Silesia between Germany and Poland, the Central Mine Rescue Station (Centralna Stacja Ratownictwa Górniczego) which had operated at Bytom since 1907 found itself on the German side of the new frontier, necessitating the establishment of replacement rescue and research capacity on the Polish side. The Stacja Doświadczalna und Centrala Ratownictwa Górniczego was initially relocated to Pniowiec near Tarnowskie Góry but its proximity to the German frontier and distance from the main mining industry led to a further relocation. In April 1926 the Górnośląski Związek Kopalń i Hut leased the idle Mikołów workings from Prince Hans Heinrich XV Hochberg von Pless for 2,200 Swiss francs, with the lease agreement signed on 12 April 1926 by Oberwerkdirektor Dr Ebeling on behalf of the prince. The Stacja Doświadczalna and Centrala Ratownictwa Górniczego were transferred from Pniowiec to Mikołów, and the facility was designated Kopalnia Doświadczalna „Barbara", Centrala Ratownictwa Górniczego i Obserwatorium Magnetyczne w Mikołowie.

From the outset the existing underground workings of the former „Barbara" mine provided a full-scale experimental environment in which controlled explosions of coal dust and mine gases could be conducted under conditions equivalent to those prevailing in operating collieries. Research covered gas and fire hazards, the classification of explosives, and — through the Obserwatorium Magnetyczne — magnetic declination measurements required for underground survey orientation. In the early years the facility was funded by the Górnośląski Związek Kopalń i Hut; after 1933 funding was provided by the Stowarzyszenie Kopalni Doświadczalnej „Barbara". At the time of the 1930s economic depression, the Mikołów facility had a staff of around 30 rising to 47 workers and 16 office staff by 1935. Directors included engineer Józef Juroff (1925–1930) and engineer Stanisław Herman (1930–1939).

During the Second World War research at the experimental mine was largely suspended, with only occasional work continuing in the experimental gallery. After 1945 the Centrala Ratownictwa Górniczego was relocated to Bytom. The Kopalnia Doświadczalna „Barbara" was incorporated into the newly established Główny Instytut Górnictwa (GIG) in Katowice and research into methane and coal dust explosion hazards and the testing of explosives continued. The facility is today the oldest surviving component of GIG — Państwowy Instytut Badawczy and the sole underground experimental test site of its kind in Europe. A displayed mine tub loaded with coal beside a shaft at the site serves as a visible marker of the location's industrial heritage.