Tarnowskie Góry Lead-Silver-Zinc Mine and its Underground Water Management System

• Lack of legal protection at the national level of all the structures above ground within the boundaries of the property 
• Change of ownership of the pumping station at Adolph Shaft whihc may alter in the medium- to long-term the quality and regularity of the extraction of the water necessary to conserve the underground chambers

On 24 January 2020, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, which is available at http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1539/documents/ and addresses recommendations made at the time of the inscription of the property in 2017 (Decision 41 COM 8B.25), as follows:

• Seven structures have been entered onto the register of monuments of the Silesian Voivodship and the municipality of Tarnowskie Góry has purchased an estate containing a machine shaft pertaining to attribute 1.5, and plots of land with post-mining landscape features, corresponding to attribute 3.2;
• Conservation programmes are under preparation and implementation for the outlet of Deep Adit Fryderyk and, once funds are available, shall be developed for the architectural setting of the ditch of the same Adit;
• The State Mining Authority reports that an inventory of the underground areas of the property will be carried out;
• Regarding steps taken towards the setting up of a multidisciplinary scientific committee, cooperation has been established between the Silesian University of Technology (SUT) and the Faculty of Earth Sciences of the University of Silesia. A cooperation agreement with the Tarnowskie Góry Land Lovers’ Association was signed in 2018. Further steps include: the signing of a cooperation agreement between the municipality and the SUT within the framework of a project to strengthen biodiversity and protection of post-mining protected areas; the execution of a 3D laser scan survey of Hałda Popłuczkowa (character area A6) by the Faculty of Earth Sciences at the University of Silesia to monitor erosion of heap slopes; and establishing a research laboratory on the working conditions of industrial professions at SUT;
• The Upper Silesian Water Supply Company ensures the quality and regularity of water extraction at the water supply station at Adolf shaft is compatible with the preservation of the underground chambers;
• Underground research is limited to certain areas due to the requirement to use special equipment and as such research must be carried out under the supervision of the State Mining Authority. However, other research activities have been implemented in character areas A7 (former Fryderyk Mine, Park Kunszt) and A8 (Municipal Park in Tarnowskie Góry);
• The water tower adjacent to Kaehler Shaft was entered onto the register of monuments in September 2019, and works are underway to prepare the extension of the property to include the tower as well as studies to assess the possibility of extending the character area A5 to connect with A4.

While the State Party reported that most of the Committee’s recommendations have been addressed, their level of achievement is uneven.

The protection of seven structures of the property has been finalized. However, it is not clear whether further above-ground structures exist within the property or within the buffer zone that support the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property and whether these are covered by national legal protection, as requested by the Committee’s recommendation. It is recommended that the Committee request the State Party to provide an inventory of those structures that are not yet protected.

Steps have been taken towards the establishment of a multidisciplinary scientific committee, however it is not yet in place and no clear timeframe is provided. The process of establishing the scientific committee should be expedited and a timeframe for its creation should be presented.

The State Party’s response to the Committee’s recommendation concerning the water pumping station at Adolph Shaft is very brief and is not supported by an explicit commitment from the Upper Silesian Water Supply Company to respect the OUV of the property and to ensure that their operations will not cause harm to its attributes.  Further information is necessary with regard to the mechanisms in place to ensure that water extraction will not have negative impacts on the property.

The proposal for an inventory of the underground elements of the property should certainly be welcomed: a plan and a timeframe would facilitate its implementation and the monitoring of its advancement. With regard to archaeological research, the State Party has explained the limits of carrying out direct research in the underground element of phase I and phase II, and has reported on other research projects carried out since inscription, including those focusing on the mining landscape, as recommended by the Committee. However, the Committee’s request to develop an archaeological investigation programme has not been addressed: this should include research themes and questions, priorities, areas to be researched, research options and methods, and a timeframe and resources.

The entry of the water tower adjacent to Kaehler Shaft onto the register of monuments is an important step towards its protection; however, this needs to be completed by the submission of the documents necessary for the inclusion of this element within the property. On the other hand, little progress seems to have been made in exploring the possibility of connecting character areas A5 and A4 above ground. The feasibility analysis of this extension should be finalized.

In summary, a number of requests made by the Committee remain outstanding. It is recommended that the Committee encourage the State Party to focus on their completion and implementation as soon as possible, and to keep the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies informed of their progress.