Queen Louise Adit
Medals available at the main entrance to the ticket counters!
The modern, industrial face of Silesia began taking shape at the end of the 18th century, driven by economic, technological, and social transformations. This was closely tied to the discovery of Silesia’s hidden treasure—hard coal. The seams of “black gold” became the foundation for the region’s later prosperity, built by figures of immense importance in the history of modern industry. The story of the Queen Louise Adit begins precisely then, at the close of the 18th century.
In 1779, Friedrich Anton von Heinitz, a Prussian state minister and de facto head of government—and co-founder of the world’s oldest mining academy in Freiberg, Saxony—brought Friedrich Wilhelm von Reden to Silesia. As director of the Mining Office in Wrocław and later minister of mining and metallurgy, Reden became a pioneer of the industrial revolution in Silesia.
The adit is an outstanding feat of engineering, showcasing the technological advancements in underground construction during the first half of the 19th century. Its construction faced numerous challenges, including geological difficulties and the precision required to dig the tunnel from two opposing directions while maintaining the necessary gradient for water drainage. The Zabrze section of the adit, approximately 2.5 km long and soon to be open to tourists, is a representative illustration of the entire structure. It features tunnels with various types of supports, boat passing bays, remnants of old ports, relics of small shafts in the walls and ceiling, sections of connecting tunnels, and a 985-meter parallel tunnel built between 1858–59. Finally, remnants of the original outlet were uncovered during revitalization work. The adit, stretching over 14 kilometers in total, runs from its outlet in central Zabrze to the former “Król” Mine in Chorzów (Krug Shaft).
Exploring the Queen Louise Adit also means journeying through the underground workings of the Queen Louise Mine, one of the largest and most advanced coal mines in the history of Silesian mining. Founded in 1791, the mine grew rapidly, accounting for 25% of all coal production in Upper Silesia by 1816. In 1842, after the completion of the “Dechen” shaft, mining began in coal seams lying below the Main Key Hereditary Adit. By 1846, the mine had one of the first railway sidings in Upper Silesia, enabling coal transport to distant customers. In the 1850s, the Carnall (Zabrze II), Prinz Schönaich, and Krug shafts were sunk, later forming the mine’s “Western Field.” Between 1869–1890, the Poremba I-IV shafts were dug, creating the “Eastern Field.” In 1898, Queen Louise achieved an astronomical (and long-unmatched) output of 3.3 million tons of coal, employing 8,500 miners. By then, it was divided into three fields: “Western,” “Eastern,” and “Southern” (the former Guido Mine). In the early 20th century, the Wilhelmina ventilation and timber shaft (Sienkiewicza Street) was added. In 1929, the enterprise split into two independent mines—Queen Louise West and Queen Louise East—which together produced 2.6 million tons of coal. Alongside the mine, Zabrze transformed from a small village into a thriving industrial hub.
