Konrad Cu-mine, Iwiny, Gmina Warta Bolesławiecka, Bolesławiec County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Polandi

Regional Level Types
Konrad Cu-mine	Mine Zone (Inactive)
Iwiny	Village
Gmina Warta Bolesławiecka	Gmina
Bolesławiec County	County
Lower Silesian Voivodeship	Voivodeship
Poland	Country

In 1938 after the discovery by German geologists Cu-ore deposits in Grodziec Syncline area, for the purpose of copper mining the company "Berg- und Hütten A. G." (BUHAG) was founded with the headquarters in Breslau (currently Wroclaw). The main shareholders of the BUHAG company was Die Bergwerksgesellschaft Georg von Giesches Erben and the Nazi Third Reich (Reichswirtschaftsministerium).The company consisted of:
- Mühlberg-Grube bei Alzenau (K-II),
- Mittlau-Grube (K-I Iwiny)
- Liebichau-Grube (Lubichów = Lubków)
The first mining works in the area of the Grodziec Syncline were taken place in the Mühlberg-Grube on 18 of November 1938, ending with finaly dug up to the level of 211m on the 19 of Dezember 1940. Unfortunatelly in 1944, the mine was twice a subject to water failures. In the next period, two extraction levels were set up 156 and 200m and in 1944, the first copper ore was excavated. The Mittlau-Grube was dug up to the level of 133 m. Liebichau-Grube with shaft L1, which during World War II was dug up to the level of 115 m, and shaft L-2 to the level of 134 m. In September 1944, both shafts L-1 and L-2 were joined by 68m long crosscut. In September 1944, the mine sunk completely in less than half an hour after the adit floor was violently erected with the rapidly outflow of water (173 m3/min.). In this condition, the Liebichau-Grube remained until the year 1957.

As a result of the World War II, all mines were flooded and their dehydration, commissioning and preparation for normal operation took place under the Polish management. The Liebichau-Grube become ZG "Lubichów" mine operated in the years 1956-1959 as an independent mining unit, until 1960, when was incorporated into the ZG "Konrad". The Mittlau-Grube become K-I shaft of ZG "Konrad" mine, with a depth of 550 m and played a central role in the extraction of copper ore. The Mühlberg-Grube become K-II shaft. The copper ore deposit of the Lubichów region was made available by two L-I and L-II post-German shafts as well as newly constructed L-III and L-IV shafts. The exploitation of copper ore completed in July 1976, bringing together about 2 million tons of ore with a content of 1.06% Cu. In the years 1976-1981, shafts L-III and L-IV were closed while in the other two former German shafts in 1984, anhydrite and gypsum was exploited at the level of 213 m, extracting 46.800 tons. The output was gradually growing and in 1989 reached the level of 110,000 tons. Due to the decline in demand in the 1990s, production was limited to around 40,000 tons per year.
The maximum mining capacity, ZG "Konrad" reached in 1976, bringing out a total of 437 540 tons of ore per year. The end of mining took place in the last days of December 1989. During the exploitation, a total of 37 914 702 tonnes of ore were recovered, containing 0.78% Cu in ore, so 269 226 tonnes of copper.



Upadowa Grodziec was the only completely Polish Cu-mine in the area of the Grodziec Syncline, active in the years 1949-1973 as the third operating area of the ZG "Konrad" mine in Iwiny. The construction began in 1949 after discovering of the occurrence of copper ore in the outcrop of the deposit in the village Grodziec region, where a limestone excavations formerly took place. The largest mining in the Upadowa Grodziec was achieved in 1961 - 232.500 tons of ore, and mining was completed in 1963. From 1965, the shaft was turned into the training base for students of mining schools.

In the history of ZG "Konrad" mine, the greatest catastrophe of the Polish copper industry took place - the break of the dam of the flotation wastes reservoir in Iwiny on the 13 of December 1967. This disaster caused the deaths of 18 inhabitants of Iwiny also further 570 were injured, 150 farm buildings have been destroyed or damaged.
As part of restructuring and liquidation of ZG "Konrad", the "Lubichów" mine was separated again and merged with the "Nowy Ląd" anhydrite mine in Niwnice, and then on 16 January 1998, sold to the investor from the building materials industry - "Atlas" from Łódź. In 2015, it was decided to liquidate and sink the mine "Lubichów" for economic reasons.


K.Andrzejewski - April 2019

The "Lubichów" mine operated in 1956-1959 and was merged with "Konrad" in 1960 (https://www.facebook.com/236782956392577/posts/5224717330932423). Minerals listed in this part of the deposit were: azurite, bornite, chalcocite, chalcopyrite, gypsum, malachite, Cu-bearing pyrite, sphalerite, silver, tenorite, and tetrahedrite-group species. In a "Lu-3" borehole, in the lower part of the Lower Zechstein formations down to the basal limestone level, gypsum-filled caverns and gypsum veinlets with tiny lenses of galena, chalcopyrite and pyrite (vide Lis & Sylwestrzak, 1986).

Ł. Kruszewski - August 2023

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References