„SPOLUKA” Mining Museum

Description

The “Spoluka” deposit is located in the immediate vicinity of the town of Madan /northeast of it/ on the right slope of the Madanska River. The deposit has been known since ancient times, and from 1948 to 1952 the study of the deposit was carried out by the Joint Geological Expedition.

The relief of the area is moderately mountainous, highly dissected, and its formation took place during the Tertiary and Quaternary. In terms of climate, the region refers to the transitional moderate continental to Mediterranean. The ore body is a quartz-sulphide vein of variable thickness. The main ore minerals are, galena, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, pyrite and white ore. High content of lead and zinc. The ores also contain silver, its content in individual samples varies. Through underground mining, the ore body was developed 310 m from the surface. In 1972, due to the depletion of established balance reserves and the cessation of mining activity, the “Spoluka” section was liquidated.

In 2016, “Gorubso-Madan” JSC provided the Municipality of Madan with the mining facility for the application and implementation of the project “Sustainable eco-cultural valorization of mines and quarries sites in the cross-border region” the cross-border area” (“Terra-Mine”). The site includes an underground complex with a length of about 140 meters, which includes a horizontal working, a mine yard, a vertical shaft with a mine yard and a ventilation chimney. The performed restoration activities ensure functionality and safety of the facility. Construction activities have been carried out, improvement of the adjacent territory between the buildings of the “Museum of Mining and Ore Extraction” and the underground mining museum “Spoluka”, equipment and exhibits have been delivered and installed for the conversion of an indoor mine working into an underground mining museum “Spoluka” in the city Madan under the project “Sustainable eco-cultural valorization of mines and quarries sites in the cross-border area”, with the acronym “Terra-Mine”, which is implemented with the financial support of the Cross-Border Cooperation Program “INTERREG V-A Greece – Bulgaria” 2014-2020, co-financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund under Grant Agreement (Grant Agreement) No. B2.6c.21 of 07/04/2019