Historical Outline of Iron Mining and Production in the Area of Present-Day Poland

Abstract

The article presents the history of iron ore mining and production in present-day Poland and takes into account mining and production techniques and the influence of mining on the development of the surrounding areas. Examples of development are presented for the most important iron ore mining centers established since the period of the so-called Roman influences—Lower Silesia in the region of Tarchalice and the Świętokrzyskie region in the area of Góry Świętokrzyskie (Świętokrzyskie Mountains). The oldest traces of underground iron ore mining in Poland date back to the 7th–5th century B.C., and iron production dates back from the 1st century B.C. in the Częstochowa region where economically significant iron ore exploitation started in the 14th century and lasted until the 20th century. Studies showed that the development of iron ore mining in today’s Poland was associated with significant events in the country’s history, for example, with the expansion of a network of fortified castles in Silesia or with the industrial revolution. In each case, the increase in iron production resulted in the development and growth of the surrounding areas.

Bloomery iron production in the Holy Cross Mountains (Poland) area during the Roman period: conditions during the metallurgical process and their uniformity between locations

“…The analysis of charcoal found in the slag gave the date of 196 BC-4 AD, falling within the range of isotope analyses conducted so far, i.e., 300 BC-200 AD [21]. This confirms that the analyzed slags were formed during the Roman influence period, which was characterized by increased metallurgical activity in the areas of present-day Poland [21,[40][41][42]. Apart from the Holy Cross Mountains, there were many smaller metallurgical centers in Poland.…”

“…Isotope analyses show that iron smelting in Masovia was carried out in the period covering at least 2450-1890 BP [41], with the greatest development occurring in the first two centuries AD [40]. In Lower Silesia (Poland), the first traces of metallurgical activity date back to the third-first century BC [42]. Dating of iron objects from Nowe Brzesko (Lesser Poland Voivodeship) gave an age in the range of 217-412 AD [37].…”

Archaeology of the Landscape of Metalworking Sites in Italian Alpine Areas (Orobic Alps) between the Middle Ages and the Modern Era

“…In the early Middle Ages, written sources confirm that in the Alpine areas close to Valtellina, Valcamonica (in the Brescia area), Valseriana and Valle Scalve (in the Bergamo area), iron mining and metallurgy were already organised and operational to extract and process raw ore. In the area of Bienno in Valcamonica, the excavation of the site of Ponte Val Gabbia III has shown that workers capable of voluntarily decarburising pig iron existed as early as the 5th-6th century, providing a fundamental impulse to the technological perfection of iron metallurgy [16][17][18]. While the transition from the direct to the indirect method represented a decisive technical innovation for the development of the iron and steel industry, it was not until the 13th century that important economic, political, administrative and legislative implications arose.…”