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 The main celebrations of the "Barbórka" miners’ holiday were organized this year by the Institute 320 metres underground in the historic Guido coal mine in Zabrze. It was attended by approximately 120 people - members of the Institute and invited guests.
It is difficult to find a better place to celebrate the traditional feast of miners and geologists than a real coal mine. It is even better, if there is an appropriate room, dining facilities, music, lights and other amenities. Impossible? And yet, such an unusual place can be found – this is an ancient coal mine of Guido in Zabrze. It was there, where on December 8 the main celebrations were organized by the Institute. Earlier, in smaller circles of people, the “Barbórka” celebrations were held in the regional branches of the Institute.
That was a rainy and windy evening, but the temperature was raised highly by the Miners Orchestra that played the welcoming march under the brightly lit Headframe. A group of several delegates of the Institute from the Warsaw Headquarters and regional branches was immediately got in a festive mood.
Participants of the “Barbórka” Miners’ Day are being welcomed by the Miners Orchestra
And then there was a noisy travel in the elevator down to the level 320 - obviously with all the ceremonial bell-ringing and after taking on helmets. For some participants it was probably an impressive experience. Deep underground, the mine did no longer resemble a mine in operation. It was clean, quiet and dry. The dominant element was a life-size... horse, hanging from the ceiling in a special harness. It was an exhibit, one of many in this mine, illustrating how draft animals were transported underground in the 19th century.
Poor horse...
In a short mine tunnel, the participants were watching charts, maps and photographs showing the history of the mine, one of the oldest in Upper Silesia, which was founded in 1885 by Guido Henckel von Donnersmarck. Coal ran out before World War II, and later the mine was a disused area of the Makoszowy coal mine. In 1982, a mining museum was established here with two tourist routes at the levels 170 and 320. This unique object is still under improvement, being enriched with new exhibits, lights and sound effects. It has already earned the worldwide fame, successfully competing with the Wieliczka mine.
What a pity that the participants, due to time shortage, were not able to visit the remaining part of this very interesting mine. However, there were other types of attractions. The destination was the Banquet Hall – a large chamber with a vaulted ceiling, finished with clinker and concrete.
The Guido mine Banquet Hall - 320 m below the surface
About 120 participants of the ceremony - the Institute's employees and invited guests, sat at elegantly decorated tables. Among them were senior officials of the Ministry of the Environment, including Chief National Geologist Henryk Jacek Jezierski, and Secretary of State Bernard Błaszczyk, provincial geologists from Lower and Upper Silesia, representatives of local governments, State Mining Authority, National Atomic Energy Agency, Maritime Office, Environmental Protection Inspectorate, directors and presidents of geological and hydrogeological companies. There were also guests from universities: the University of Silesia, Silesian University of Technology, Jagiellonian University and Warsaw University. The Polish Academy of Sciences was represented by a delegation from the Mineral and Energy Economy Research Institute in Kraków. Delegates from the allied institute of IETU (Institute for Ecology of Industrial Areas) in Katowice were also present. Obviously, the guests of honour were consortium members of Geocentrum Poland - prominent representatives of KGHM, PGNiG, PGE, Institute of Oil and Gas, Maritime Institute and Geophysical Exploration Company. The Parliament of the Republic of Poland was represented by a many-year former member of the Parliament and a friend of our Institute - Dr Jan Rzymełka. Kindred geological surveys were represented by delegations from the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
As dictated by tradition, it all began with the hymn "Górniczy stan” brilliantly performed by the Miners Orchestra with a rather modest contribution of the participants, however, growing in the refrain.
Guests were welcomed by the Director of the Polish Geological Institute, Professor Jerzy Nawrocki. Then the Director made the celebration report, which is a kind of summary of the achievements of the institution in the passing year. The report, as required by custom, was accepted by Minister Henryk Jacek Jezierski. Director Jerzy Nawrocki informed the meeting about a number of occasional addresses, which were sent by the representatives of sciences, managements and directors of European geological surveys.
The ritual of each “Barbórka” celebration is awards and honours. This was also this time. Appointments to the higher degrees of miners received:
- Izabela Bojakowska (Professor) and Hanna Matyja (Professor) – promoted to General Mining Director of degree III
- Magdalena Sikorska-Jaworowska (Dr, Professor of PGI-NRI) and Teresa Podhalańska (Dr, Professor of PGI-NRI) – promoted to General Mining Director of degree I
- Monika Jachowicz-Zdanowska (Dr), Jarosław Lewandowski (MSc), and Adam Wójcicki (Dr Eng.) – promoted to Mining Director of degree III
- Anna Bagińska (MSc) – promoted to Mining Engineer of degree II
The nominations were awarded by the Minister of Economy at the request of the Director of PGI-NRI.
At that point, the official part of the ceremony was completed. After a short technical break, there was the unofficial part of the feast called Karczma Piwna (The Beer Hall), partly dating back to the 18th century.
Mining uniforms were very popular. Sitting at the table: left - Director Jerzy Nawrocki, Deputy Director of the Department of Geology and Geological Concessions Andrzej Przybycin; right – National Chief Geologist Henryk Jacek Jezierski, Director of the Department of Geology and Geological Concessions Ewa Zalewska
The event was smoothly ran by a local band from the Guido coal mine, with Mr. Pieloch, a former signaller from the Makoszowy coal mine, as President, accompanied by Counterpoint and Executor. There were anecdotes, funny monologues, skill competitions, games and choral singings of the well-known hits of geologists and miners, such as Ukraina, Chachary, Szła dzieweczka, Hej sokoły etc. All under the watchful eye of President, with penalties enforced ruthlessly, regardless of the official position of the "criminal" (all Directors of the Institute got familiar with the stocks, some twice).
Jerzy Nawrocki, Director of the Institute, held out very bravely in the stocks
Artistic activities were supported by excellent food and great beer in fancy mugs, which took the name "Shale Beer" on this occasion, as announced on a badge with a map of the occurrence of these potentially gas-bearing deposits.
Some imposed a crazy pace of drinking Shale Beer
This nice fun ended with a concert of the Slovak folk band Chemlon, presenting the music suitable for dancing, which some participants of Barbórka gladly followed. The event, which undoubtedly can be considered one of the most successful ventures of the Institute, came to its end around 23.00 hrs.
text by Mirosław Rutkowski
photos by Barbara Ruszkiewicz
translation by Krzysztof Leszczyński |
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