Siemianowice III shaft winding tower, Mining headframe in Siemianowice Śląskie, Poland.
The Siemianowice III shaft winding tower is a steel headframe over 30 metres tall, built in 1897 and topped with a spire bearing a mining emblem. The shaft itself, not the tower, reaches 216 metres and is used by the Central Mining Drainage Plants for drainage and ventilation; the tower stands within the Siemianowice pumping station grounds.
The Richter III shaft was sunk for the Laurahütte coal mine between 1880 and 1887, named after mining councillor Richter. In 1889 the shaft was deepened and a new extraction level opened at 206 m, linked by a 19th-century crosscut to the Bańgów shaft. The present steel winding tower was built in 1897, the same year a steam winding engine was installed, and rebuilt in 1966.
This structure reflects the mining heritage of Upper Silesia and how such towers shaped the region's identity for generations. Visitors can observe the engineering skill and industrial pride embedded in the construction of these working monuments.
The tower stands within the pumping station grounds and can be viewed from outside. Daytime visits offer the clearest views of the structure against the sky.
The winding tower alone was offered for sale three times by the Spółka Restrukturyzacji Kopalń, with an opening price of 157,000 złoty in 2015. Buyers would have had to dismantle and re-erect it elsewhere, since the shaft below still drains and ventilates mine workings for the Centralny Zakład Odwadniania Kopalń.
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