Establishing the Gold Mine tourist complex in Złoty Stok

Development of the closed arsenic ore and gold mine, situated in the border area, and transformation of it into a tourist complex that benefits the entire local community was possible thanks to the local authorities thinking in a non-standard and innovative way. The Gold Mine, mentioned for the first time in the 10-th century, was closed in 1960 and reopened by the city Złoty Stok authorities as a single tourist route without any commercial facilities in 1996. In 1997, one of the guides: Elżbieta Szumska pledged her home for a bank loan and bought the mine from the city. The authorities took risk to sell the mine and then has been cooperating with the owner during the process of the mine restoration. On the other hands, the owner took on the financial risk associated with the investment. Her plan was to improve the offer by adding one new tourist attraction every year and promote the mine to attract more and more visitors. Step by step, the mine became no 1 among Polish Tourist Attraction in 2015 and received many certificates for the company and for the owner as an outstanding leader and manager. Nowadays tourists can visit the fallowing attractions: Gertruda Adit and Upper Black Adit with the only underground waterfall in Poland, museum of safety signs from the People's Republic of Poland, mineral exhibition, restored narrow gauge railway, underground boat rafting, minting coins, bar & restaurant, 4 souvenirs shops, 2 hotels, escape rooms and many others.