Information Technologies and Mining Tourism
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Acta Geoturistica volume 1 (2010), number 1, 12 – 24 Information technologies and mining tourism PAVOL RYBÁR and LADISLAV HVIZDÁK Institute of Geotourism, Technical University in Košice, Letná 9, 042 00 Košice, Slovakia (E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]) ABSTRACT The report gives a brief account of Gelnica historical mining of European relevance thanks to precious, color, and iron metal production from the Middle Ages up to the 20th century. However, contemporary shape of the earlier works and technical equipments linked with historical mining are not as valuable as we might wish, to be able to attract tourists interested in the mining of earlier times. The authors processed old mining and geological maps of Gelnica and environs, and created a unique virtual project which can meet the goal. Moreover, having connected mining and geological data, there has been created a rare three-dimensional image of ore vein composition, pings, ping fields and historical mining works in the explored region. The chosen approach is universal, usable for various mining localities. Keywords: information technology, mining tourism, Gelnica MINING TOURISM present a miner as a free person, migrating in accordance with needs, respecting With a touch of irony, we can state: the a cycle of completion and repeated opening less mining, the more mining tourism. At of mining operations. Miners would the present time people are getting more establish their communities, and mining interested in the remnants of mining, in technology, often highly advanced. contrast to quite recent negative attitudes The above mentioned was all included in towards its activities. However, as visitors, mining, and deleting its traces could as well people respect the underground space, mean a great loss of the social memory of finding mining an adrenaline sport, partly humankind because all these spheres of adventure or heroism, and, after all, the action accompanied people through tourists are as well curious about the centuries; in case we add more primitive miner’s underground life and work. aspects of mining, thousands of years Mining tourism offers visitors a chance would count, too. And so, salvation of to see and get to know mining tools, mining relicts and their presentation to the devices and technologies, minerals, ores present and future generations in the form and rocks accessible in the region, of mining tourism is just natural. technologies applied in ore extractions, as well as technologies used to enrich produced ores; historical personalities who VISUALIZATION SPECIALTIES OF used to secure and support mining process, GEOLOGICAL AND MINING just like conditions in the area after shut- PHENOMENA WITHIN THE downs of the operations. All this has to be HISTORICAL MINING TERRITORY administered in an utterly understandable, OF GELNICA AND ENVIRONS interesting and engaging manner. There is also a social aspect associated with mining For the above mentioned purpose, it is activities; therefore it is necessary to possible to utilize the environment and 12 Acta Geoturistica volume 1 (2010), number 1, 12 – 24 tools provided by the Geographical available from 15th up to 19th century, Information System GIS). In order to along with the later mining maps complete the task, we have substituted originally created by more precise missing evidence and documents by means methods; in case of Gelnica and of our own logical presuppositions: surroundings, predominantly by means • “seniors” (miners living in the earlier of maps and geological cuts from the historic times) excavated mining shafts, 70th of 20th century. following the advancement of rich veins both along its run and dip. • “seniors” did not hollow the shafts GELNICA ORE DISTRICT beyond bearing bodies, with the exception of drainage gallery The extensive ore district contains • lots of old mining maps were used as a abundance of ore reefs laid in the rocks of historical document, unique exhibit in porfyroid series, whose filling is quite the private collections; however, their varied. (Fig. 1). three-dimensional identification is Ore veins represent a type of questionable. By finding common hydrothermal siderite and also silicious locations, it will be possible to position copper ores. There are two well-known vein an earlier map into the physical setting. traverses, i.e., Thick: Hrubá (siderite) with • field research, too, can help identify the twigs and Gelnická called also Kahlehöhe, site of the earlier mining activities (siliceous), which in a slight angle intersect. through identification of the former The veins occasionally contained sufficient sites, discovering pings, ping fields and amount of copper. Numerous veins in the searching for and finding tunnel portals valley of Grellenseifen carried siderite ore or their remnants, applying previous of lesser quality, and in the vein range of hypothesis that the seniors excavated Zenderling, there were mercury ores. and hollowed a shaft according to the Primary minerals which used to be the runs and dips. After the identification of subject of the extraction were represented the miner’s entrance spots, we presume by chalcopyrite and tetraedritom, rich in that continuation of the shaft tracks the silver that used to be, together with copper, ore vein progression. With the idea of vastly utilized in the earlier times. As to the average advancement of the tunnel average metal content of the veins, there are length, which could be 10 m a year with no data available. The veinstone thickness no explosives at hand, the only direction occasionally reached as much as 6 m. he took, was the rich presence of ore in It is known that copper and mercury ores the reef. With help of the combination were mined above all in the region of of both: data of the development of the Gelnica westwards, in the basic length of tunnels and geological maps, it is about 4 km and continues further on in the possible to identify directions of the area of Slovinky within 5 km range. It is earlier works in the researched territory, the longest uninterrupted deposit traverse, in our case: Gelnica and the environs. or mining complex at Slovinky. • by choosing GIS as a computing Initially, the above mentioned two main medium, taking the opportunity of using veins in the territory of Gelnica were mined different map materials and data right through pings, later on through tunnels and from the landscape, it is feasible to shafts. There is a conspicuous great number process data of varied levels and of shafts linked with the equally great qualities, while respecting our ideas. number of skilled workers (private GIS guarantees interaction of historic operators, mining plants, as well as a maps without a geodetic point, mining exchequer), who worked demonstrated in various gauges, independently alongside vein traverses. 13 Acta Geoturistica volume 1 (2010), number 1, 12 – 24 Fig. 1 The map of ore veins in the region of Gelnica-Slovinky-Žakarovce, Source : [3] THE HISTORY OF MINING a presumption that these were produced AT GELNICA AND SURROUNDINGS from ores found in a nearby deposit. In the first century A.D., historians G. Plinius a C. The beginnings of mining in the Slovak Tacitus made a comment on the Celts and Ore Mountains are impossible to trace back Kvads who produced iron in connection in detail. Some of the historians, who with iron ore extractions in the area of analyzed archeological discoveries of metal contemporary Slovakia.The Slavs, who items found in the region of the Slovak Ore replaced them, blended later on with Mountains, have come to conclusion that descendants of tribes who had remained they were made from metals of the local here. The Hungarians who invaded the deposits. An outstanding Czech historian territory of Slovakia in the 9th century, J.Ko řan brought to attention a foreign appreciated its mining and metallurgy explorer who had tested chemical because they highly benefited from it. More composition of copper items found in the exact information on mining comes from Little Asia; and based on his conclusion, the era of the Arpads, who sent for the the items were made in the second colonists - craftsmen and miners, and these millennium B.C., they were made from new inhabitants began to establish the first pure copper, mined at some of the Spiš – mining settlements in the regions of Spiš Gemer sites. There also exists an indirect, and Gemer, which is documented in the but very valuable finding of a fireplace and preserved records. Historians came to pieces of iron at Jasov, traced back to conclusion that mining is much older than Halstadt period (800-400 B.C.), and there is the first mining records However, there is 14 Acta Geoturistica volume 1 (2010), number 1, 12 – 24 still a remaining mystery regarding the very polgárság); it was established in the year first amounts of excavated iron in the mines 1748 and had been in effect until its of the Slovak Ore Mountains [1, 2]. dissolution in the year 1898. Direct evidence on mining in the territory of Gelnica had been preserved only from the period after the Tartar invasion over the VISUALIZATION OF GEOLOGICAL 1241-1242ys span, during the times of AND MINING PHENOMENON IN forming mining settlements. The oldest THE HISTORICAL TERRITORY OF existing documents are royal edicts of the GELNICA AND SURROUNDINGS mining lands and grands related to mining sites and towns of Gelnica (1264), Spišská In order to achieve the goal, it was Nová Ves (1271), Nálepkovo (1290), necessary to choose maps as a foundation Smolník (1327), Švedlár a Mníšek nad for the documentary material in time and Hnilcom (1337), Stará Voda (1344), space in the region of Gelnica and vicinity. Slovinky, Krompachy, Žakarovce, We looked them up in the archives of Jaklovce, Folkmár, Kojšov, Prakovce a Bratislava, Spišská Nová Ves, Gelnica, Helcmanovce (1368). At the time of issuing Banskej Štiavnica and Košice.Those were the royal documents, mining had already the following institutions: the public existed.