Důl Michal Mine

Důl Michal has its roots in the beginning of coal mining in Michalkovice. In 1843, the first two coal mining pits were dug in this area. One of them, originally called Mikhalkovická Pit No. 3, was named in 1850 by Michael Layer, an important mining expert and the Gubernary Council. The mine has thus reached the historical map of the mining industry.

The development period became 1856, when the mine bought the northern runway of Emperor Ferdinand. He remained under her administration for more than 90 years - until nationalization in 1945. The owner took care of modernization: in 1862, the so-called Mining Railways leading from the ferry to Michalkovic were launched, which enabled a more efficient expedition of coal extracted by rail.

In the first decades of operation, the mine gradually deepened. In 1863, the mining pit reached a depth of 161.2 metres. The work was dependent on steam drive - the mining machines and pumps for drainage of the pit were powered by steam power. In 1871, however, there was a disaster: during the reconstruction of the mining pit it collapsed and a pit building and machinery room collapsed into the crater. The following years brought further technical improvements: in 1874, a new steam engine with a power of 120 horsepower was installed and a Guibal fan with a diameter of seven metres was installed.

The mine was growing. By 1882 the mining was transferred from the Ferdinand auxiliary mine, the Michal pit reached a depth of 243.5 metres. Sixteen years later, the pit already had a depth of 397.8 meters. The advent of the new technology came in 1907 with the introduction of machine drilling during the milking of corridors.

The strongest transformation took place between 1912 and 1915. The mine was fundamentally rebuilt according to the design of architect František Fiala. The key change consisted of switching from old-fashioned steam drive to electric. The new machinery room was divided into a separation of heavy machinery and compressor, equipped with modern electric heavy machinery. Further improvements were gradually added - in 1929 the Škoda piston compressor was installed and in 1941 it was supplemented by a more powerful turbocompressor.

There was a nationalization in 1945. Since 1946, the mine became part of the Ostrava-Karvin coal mines and was renamed Mine Petr Cingr. After the mining, however, he returned to the traditional name Michal and an Industrial Museum was established in the area. Today, the mine is a national cultural monument administered by the National Heritage Institute and is open to the public. The visitor can thus see the evidence of the evolution of industrial technology and understand what place the mining in Ostrava's economy had.