[LIMITED EDITION] Marie Agnes Silver Mine, Black Poster: 52x98cm

The Marie-Agnes Project is an ongoing underwater archaeological survey project recording the flooded remains of XIX-century zink, lead and silver mine using cutting edge digital techniques, to raise awareness of the Lower-Silesia mining history and to help ensure its preservation for future generations.

The entrance to the adit of the Marie Agnes mine is located on the right bank of the Bystrzyca River in the Przyłęk mountain massif, under the railway viaduct of the currently closed railway line. It is not known when the deposit was discovered or from what period the individual fragments of the mine come from. It is possible that mining works on this deposit lasted from the 16th century to the beginning of the 19th century. 



The excavations run along a hydrothermal barite-quartz vein containing lead, silver and zinc ores (silver-bearing galena and sphalerite) in gneiss rocks. The pavements of the first (partially flooded) level are approximately 50 m long and have the SEE direction. Their maximum height is 2 m, with a width of up to 1,5 m. The lower parts (level -6 m and level -11 m) are accessible only to cave divers and contain some well-preserved relics of old mining technology.

The mine is easily accessible as the adit mouth is located right next to the road running along the Bystrzyca stream. The mine had only one entrance and its ventilation was by diffusion. The entrance to the shaft surprises with its tightness. It is only 60 cm high, while right behind it, the height of the corridor reaches 2 m in some places. According to some sources, the reason for leaving such a low entrance was to force the miners working in the adit to 'bow' to the spirit of the mine, asking for prosperity and ensuring safety during work. 

The poster available from Cave-prints is a one of a kind illustration of the photogrammetry survey results. It has been created using the original 3D model acquired by the Submerged Foundation, the author of the scanning project. In addition, the poster was supplemented with many interesting data, such as the details about the flooded levels, mine history and the photogrammetry survey process description