Mezica Mine

Lead and zinc were mined under the Peca massif from 1665 until 1994, leaving more than eight hundred kilometres of tunnels inside the mountain. Part of it is now open: a train takes visitors in, and beyond the standard walking tour there are underground mountain bike routes on the old haulage levels and kayaking through galleries that have flooded since the pumps stopped. A museum at the portal covers the mining and the geology.

History

The Romans first found ore here, and the earliest record of lead mining, probably beneath Peca, is in the account book of Duke Ernest the Iron in 1424. The first official mining permit was issued in 1665, and work went on for 332 years with some breaks until the ore ran out in 1994, leaving more than 800 km of tunnels (Wikipedia, Mežica Mine; Slovenian Wikipedia, Rudnik Mežica).

The main sights

• The underground bike route - cycling the old haulage levels deep inside the mountain.
• The kayak tour - paddling through galleries flooded since the pumps were switched off.
• The mine train - the rail journey in from the portal.
• The mining museum - equipment, geology and the record of three centuries of working.

When to go

Year round at a constant eight degrees, so warm clothing is needed. Bike and kayak tours must be booked well ahead and run to set times. Summer weekends fill quickly.

Good to know

The bike and kayak tours must be booked in advance and are not available on demand. It is cold, wet and dark, and the kayak route is not for anyone uneasy in enclosed spaces. Standard walking tours are much less interesting than the specialist ones.

Nearby

Ravne na Koroskem is east, and the Peca massif is above.

Key facts