The Coal Mining Museum of Slovenia

The first mentions of lignite deposits in the area of ​​the village of Škale near Velenje date back to the 18th century, the first drilling in 1875, and the first opening of the cave in 1887.The Velenje Coal Mining Museum was founded in 1957 in the 180 m deep Škale mine shaft near the city of Velenje. The museum collection of the Velenje coal mine shows the conditions and working conditions of the miners at the beginning of lignite mining in the Velenje and surrounding mines. The museum is the result of work of many generations of Slovenian miners and is managed by the still working Coal Mine Velenje, which with an annual production of around 4 million tons of coal it is the most modern and largest coal mine in Slovenia. The ambition of the museum is to bring the story of Slovenian coal mining closer to as many visitors as possible, regardless of their age, physical ability, language or other possible restrictions.