Mežica: Mining History and Underground Experiences

Mežica combines a distinctive mining history with unusual underground experiences. Podzemlje Peca in Mežica is the central point of the cross-border UNESCO Karawanks Geopark in Slovenia. As a result, this town is not only focused on collections and historical evidence, but also on routes, railways and tours that are directly connected with the former mining industry.

Culture

The Mežica Mining Museum is housed in a building in Glančnik that was built in 1928 by the English owners of the mine. The collections include minerals, ores, fossils and surveying instruments. A former apartment in the museum also presents the living culture of Mežica’s miners from the period before the Second World War. In this way, technical, geological and social traces of mining come together in the same museum.

Another permanent exhibition is dedicated to the beekeeping tradition of Mežica and Koroška. The Čebelarska zbirka Mežica is designed as a permanent exhibition and displays painted beehive front panels. It also presents the history of beekeeping up to 1967. The two collection areas focus on different aspects: one on the mine and its working world, the other on a regional tradition and its visible evidence.

Underground

The themed trail beneath Peca begins at the information centre of the UNESCO Karawanks Geopark in Mežica. From there, the journey continues on an authentic mine railway and along a guided route. The trail passes through tunnels and mine workings created by miners 350 years ago. In this way, the underground structure is not merely mentioned as a backdrop but can be experienced as a historical part of the route.

The underground mining railway ride beneath Peca includes a 15-minute journey into the mine. The mine railway stops in the Moring section, 600 metres below the earth’s surface. During the guided tour, an experienced guide presents the work of the miners in various historical periods. The duration of the ride, the stop at great depth and the explanations of the history of the work are different parts of the same underground experience.

The kayak mining tour is also closely connected with the former mining area. It begins at the Mining Museum in Glančnik, Mežica. First, participants descend 95 metres on foot to the water level, then paddle through the underground labyrinth. The guided kayaking experience also includes a snack of the Koroška miners’ meal “knapovska malica”. The tour thus combines access via the museum, the descent to the water level, the journey on the water and a regional speciality.

Activities

For mountain biking, the Black Hole Trail sets out a clearly defined challenge: it is suitable exclusively for very experienced mountain bikers who are accustomed to technically demanding terrain. The trail crosses five horizons and descends by around 150 metres in altitude. Another underground option is the mining cycling tour beneath Peca. It follows a route of more than five kilometres from one valley to the other. Both activities relate to the mining area, but differ in their means of travel and the route described for each.

Geology

The geological character of Mežica includes its wulfenite deposit. It is considered the richest wulfenite deposit in Europe and one of the best known in the world. Together with the minerals and ores in the Mining Museum, this aspect contributes to the image of a place whose history, exhibitions and underground routes are closely connected with the rocks and deposits of the mine.

Other destinations

If you would like to view other destinations at the same higher level as Mežica, you can find Črna Na Koroškem, Ravne Na Koroškem here.

To the higher-level travel overview: Ravne Na Koroškem.