TURKISH DAILY NEWS-1/4/08
Turkey to have its first Coal Mining museum.
ZONGULDAK - Dogan News Agency
A coal mine in the Black Sea region that was used as a shelter during World War II and later as a training center for mine workers is expected to be converted into a museum.
The coal mining museum in Zonguldak province, that will be opened next year, will be the first in the country.
Located in the province's Bastarla neighborhood, the coal mine first became operational in 1880, during the late Ottoman era. It belongs to the Turkish Coal Institute (TTK).
However, mining activities were terminated in 1910 and it was used again as a shelter during World War II. After serving as a training center for mine workers in 1963, it was opened to the public in January 1997.
As many as 13,000 local and foreign tourists have visited the coal mine in the past 10 years. Once the project, implemented by the Zonguldak governor's office, is completed, Turkey's very first mining museum will be inaugurated.
Located 50 meters underground and across a 800-meter-long area, the museum is expected to draw more tourists through its display of equipment used for mining activities, enabling visitors to visualize the process in detail.
Zonguldak Governor Yavuz Erkmen said this project was launched to display, in its original location, how coal, the main raw material produced in Zonguldak, was extracted and processed. Erkmen said that after obtaining the necessary permission, a bidding process will be launched.
“Examples of mining museums can be seen in Europe, especially in Germany. And we shall open the first mining museum of Turkey in Zonguldak,” he said.
A multi-functional hall will be built next to the museum. It will show movies and various other audiovisual shows about mining to inform visitors. A cafe will be opened next to the museum as well.