Former chromite mine on Czernica

On the south-western slope of Czernica, one of the peaks of the Ślęża Massif, traces survive of a former chromite mine. The mining operation ran here intermittently between 1890 and 1943, with total production of around 3,500 tonnes of the mineral.

Four mining levels

Chromite was extracted on four levels of the mine. A multi-level adit survives to this day, along with a spoil heap by its entrance and a transport shaft located higher up, closer to the summit of Czernica. Remains of the infrastructure of the former mine railway, used to haul out the extracted material, can also be seen.

A secured adit

The entrance to the adit has been closed off with a grille. The barrier is meant to protect bats that hibernate inside the workings. The operation was finally closed down in the 1950s, and the site has not been worked since.

Practical information

• Location: the south-western slope of Czernica (481 m above sea level) in the Ślęża Massif, near Jaźwina, Dzierżoniów County.
• Getting there: on foot along trails in the Czernica and Mount Ślęża area, within the Ślęża Landscape Park.
• What to expect: an adit secured with a grille and a spoil heap in the forest, with no marked visitor route; entry inside is not possible, so the site is viewed from the outside.