County Museum of Mining History, Rudabánya. Localization: 3733 RUDABÁNYA, Petőfi u. 24. GPS coordinates: N 48, ; E 20,624255

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1 County Museum of Mining History, Rudabánya Localization: 3733 RUDABÁNYA, Petőfi u. 24. GPS coordinates: N 48, ; E 20, Age: The museum was inaugurated on Miner s Day of 1965; Current status: Beautiful thematic exhibition on the evolution of mining technologies and history from the very beginning up to now. Visit it! Open every day from 9am to 4pm. It is open for groups at any other time as well, based on prior agreement with the staff. Tel.: 48/ ; rudmuz@gmail.com; 1 Description: It is surprising how early dated the document which witnesses the interest of collection of extraordinary findings. F.E. Brückmann of Wolfenbüttel a German medical man and scientist passed by Rudabánya in In his work that subjected to mineral deposits of the world (Magnalia Dei in locis subterraneis, 1727), mentions the countess, the possessor of the local copper-ore mine (no name mentioned, but obviously talks about Mrs. Sándor Gvadányi) who collects the most beautiful minerals from her copper-mines. Brückmann talks about an extraordinary native-copper piece with no green oxide coat and shape of a cluster of grapes. Later on as the industrial size mining started, appeared a lot of interesting findings: objects of ancient mining heritage, paleontological findings, and supreme minerals. In the beginning most of them miscarried but after 1920 when Géza Kállai took the chair of the director of Rudabánya mines he set up a cabinet for the treasures. He collected the objects turning up in the mines through two decades. Fortunately his collection weathered the II. World War and still remains in the exhibition of the present museum. In 1955 there was the celebration of the 75 th anniversary of the Rudabánya largescale mining. For this occasion the local technical intelligentsia mounted a temporary exhibition on the extraordinary history of the Rudabánya mining. The initiative had great success so appeared the will to have a permanent mining history collection in the village. So it happened. The core of the new exhibition was the material of the collection of Kállai, in the old warehouses of the mine there were many old objects related to mining and families which worked for the mines through generations offered valuable ancient tools and other objects too, to all of this material there were many photos and documents associated. The set up of the collection was guided by skilled archaeologist, György Szabó the colleague of Hungarian National Museum. The exhibition was set up in the ground-floor hall of the then Petőfi, recently Gvadányi Community Centre. The inaugural was in 3 rd of September (Miner s Day)of Fortunately György Szabó wrote a review of the exhibition for a learned-journal and some photos remained too. A monograph titled Ore-mining of Rudabánya was planned to be edited for the 75 th anniversary too but it was published only in 1957.

2 The well done, exquisite exposition caught many eyes, the local people were proud of the rescued objects of their foretime. But as it usually happens, the interest and care remitted. At the end of the 1950 s the collection was moved (means cribbed unprofessionally ) into a room of the new bath and office building of the mine. Seemed so that the enthusiasm of people to create a permanent exhibition extinguished. Fortunately it happened the other way. In 1960 the investment department of the prosperous mine-works got a new director László Murvay. The accomplished technical expert immediately noticed the value of the packed exhibition of the warehouse. With the encouragement of his principals he started arrange and organize the material. In some years he increased the exhibition with objects and documents of ore- and mineral mining from the entire territory of the historical Hungary. So the local exhibition turned into regional and later national. His work was helped by excellent specialist from Hungary and abroad ( dr. Faller Jenő, dr. Korek József, Kiszely Gyula, V. Kirnbauer, J. Majer and other ) so laying on their advisements he developed the small exhibition to a nation-wide collecting institution named Ore- and Mineral Mining Museum. The museum had its own building and first director was László Murvay. It was inaugurated on Miner s Day of 1965 as a part of the program organized for the 600 th anniversary of the enouncement of Rudabánya being a royal mining town. 2 László Murvay s work was the expansion of the building of the Museum in 1967, the set up of the underground exhibition in 1969, and the independent paleontological and mineralogical exhibition in On some historical mining settlements (Telkibánya, Nagybörzsöny, Recsk) he founded succursal museums. From the 1990 s after the old mining companies closed down the museum was maintained by endowment and from 2006 it is managed by the Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplém County Museum Directorate. From the 1 st of September of 2006 the Museum with renovated building and environment is opened and named the County Museum of Mining History.

3 Showcase with findings from the Stone and Celtic age. 3 Showcase with findings from the Celtic age. The exhibition illustrated with drawings explains well the ancient breaking technics.

4 Models help the better understanding. 4 Miner uniforms. László Murvay's work was the independent paleontological and mineralogical exhibition in 1980.

5 First use of metal, the gathering of native copper already started in the late Neolithic. As it was available in pure, native form, it could be worked without any special treating like smelting, so people used it already before they were able to obtain metal from ores. 5 Native copper The beautiful minerals are the 'side-products' of the millenar Rudabánya mining.

6 The beautiful minerals are the 'side-products' of the millenar Rudabánya mining 6 Pieces of art inspired by the hard miner s life are also part of the exhibition László Murvay's work was the set up of the underground exhibition in 1969.

7 Detail of the underground exhibition 7 Medieval signet of the town

8 The signet of Rudabánya from 1786, the name of the town is carved misspelled 8