Muzeul Mineritului Petroșani

Petroșani Mining Museum

Useful Information

Location:	(45.416488, 23.371152)
Open:	All year Tue-Fri 9-16, Sat, Sun 9-15. [2023]
Fee:	Adults ROL 3, Children ROL 1.50, Students ROL 1.50. [2023]
Classification:	Mining Museum Coal Mine
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided, D=90 min.
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	yes
Bibliography:
Address:	Petroșani Mining Museum, Muzeul Mineritului, Str Nicolae Balcescu 2, 332025 Petroşani, Tel: +40-254-541-744.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1840s	beginning of coal mining in the area.
1961	museum founded in 1 Ion Creangă Street, which is now demolished and the location of the Central Park.
1966	museum moves to its current location.
18-OCT-1970	numismatic exhibition inaugurated.
1996-1998	massive renovation and extension.
2010	listed as Historical Monument no. 394, with HD-II code-MB-03409.
04-AUG-2011	50th anniversary celebrated.
01-JUN-2021	museum reopened after EU-financed renovation.

Geology

Description

The Muzeul Mineritului Petroșani (Petroșani Mining Museum) is a museum about the local coal mining. It was founded in the 1960s and several times extended and renovated. It is located in a building from 1920 which is a Historic Monument. It was built as the headquarters of the mining company S.A.R. Petroșani. Later they transformed it into housing for the miners.

When the museum was founded, the country was communist and part of the Warsaw Pact. So it was established based on the Decision of the People’s Council of Hunedoara Region of August 4, 1961. Its first exhibition was about the Cuban Revolution, not about mining.

The museum has original documents, artworks, photographs, mining equipment, and tools about the mining in the Jiu Valley. A part of the exhibition the large tools and machines are outside in the courtyard, but the other items are inside the museum. The geological exhibition has minerals and fossils of plants and animal found in the coal and the surrounding rock. Mining tools and machines show te technological development of the coal mining in the area. The social life of the miners is documented by photographs, documents, and numerous books. The museum also has a numismatic collection since 1970. Special exhibits are a trolley used to transport water barrels to the mine and the bellow rescue devices, the first device of this kind, both from 1900. Quite interesting are the various models of mines and mining equipment. And it has a collection of mining overalls, of skiing, traditional costumes, and historic cameras.

The museum regularly hosts exhibitions, some mining related, others not. The topics included the Cuban Revolution, plastic art, numismatics, mining engineering, tourism, photography, and vintage photos of the mining towns.