Welcome

GET THE PROGRAMME OF THE 21st WORLD MINING CONGRESS in PDF file.

These beautiful words of Prof. Bolesław Krupiński - the organiser of the first international meeting of miners from all over the world fifty years ago in Warsaw - were an inspiration for the main watchword of the 21^st World Mining Congress in 2008:

 "New Challenges and Visions for Mining"

We would like to invite you to the debates of the Congress, which will take place from the 7th through 11th of September 2008 in Kraków, the Cultural Capital of Poland. Kraków is a city of unique character, which has been and still is created by artists. It is our sincere wish that the days you spend in our city during the Congress are marked by unforgettable impressions stemming from your acknowledgement of the respect we pay to our traditions and the unique and magic character of Kraków, which makes us proud and has charmed our guests from all over the world for years. "If you want to know the spirit of Poland, you should come to Kraków", said Wilhelm Feldman (a historian and literature critic of the 20th century). We would like to invite you to a city where scientific and artistic life is still growing. The prestige and beauty of the city is enhanced by amazing monuments such as the Wawel Castle, the Mariacki Church, the Collegium Maius of the Jagiellonian University, the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, St. Adalbert's Church (one of the oldest in Poland), the biggest Market Square in Europe, the "Sukiennice" Cloth Hall and a lot of other historic monuments which are placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Found on the same list is also the most famous salt mine in the world in Wieliczka (near Kraków).

The historic salt mine in Wieliczka is the only mining site in the world which has functioned continuously from the Middle Ages up to the present. It cannot be compared to anything else in the world. From its very beginnings, the mine has been visited by the famous and the mighty of this world: Kopernik, Goethe, Humboldt, Paderewski, Mendelejew, Baden Powell, Karol Wojtyla (who later became Pope John Paul II), as well as ordinary people and crowned heads of state. Since 1978, the mine has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List, where it was named among the top twelve most remarkable sites in the world. The mine comprises 7.5 million square meters of excavated area stretching over nine levels located between 64 and 327 meters below the surface, tunnels with a total length of more than 320 km and over 2,148 chambers. In 10 of its chambers, it hosts the underground exhibition of the Salt Mine Museum. The collection includes antique tools, machinery and equipment, lighting equipment, as well as an exposition of archaeological findings and interesting geological specimens. The exhibition also includes a painting portraying the work of miners in the old days, models of old buildings and mining structures and a miniature model of Wieliczka from 350 years ago, as well as a cross section of the old mine. Pope John Paul II called Kraków "The city of my life"–. This is the most beautiful name which could have been given to this city after its one-thousand-year history.

On behalf of the Committees, we would like to invite each one of you who feel closely about mining traditions and passion to this magic and incredible city.

Chairman of the Honorary Committee Antoni TAJDUŚ
Chairman of the Advisory Committee Piotr BUCHWALD
Chairman of the Scientific Committee Wacław TRUTWIN
Chairman of the Organising Committee Jerzy KICKI