JSW Group
This year, due to restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, St. Barbara’s Day celebrations were of token nature only. First, flowers were laid in the Borynia Section pithead and in front of St. Barbara's image, and then a commemorative plaque was unveiled. An obelisk located in front of the mine gate commemorates the miners who tragically died at the colliery. The plaque was unveiled by Tomasz Cudny, President of the JSW S.A. Management Board, Artur Wojtków, Vice-President for Employment and Social Policy, and Marian Zmarzły, Director of the Borynia-Zofiówka mine.
St. Barbara’s Day celebrations ended with a Holy Mass for the intention of miners at All Saints' Church in Jastrzębie-Szerokia. The celebrations were attended, among others, by JSW S.A. Management Board members, as well as mine authorities and trade union representatives.
The opening ceremony of the Borynia mine took place on the eve of St. Barbara's Day in 1971. The official opening was made by Edward Gierek, then the First Secretary of the Polish United Workers' Party (PZPR). The first director of the mine, Maksymilian Tarabura, reported on the preparation and readiness of the mine for commissioning. To date, Borynia miners have extracted 113.1 million tons of coal. During this time, a total of 35,300 people worked in the mine. Currently, the mine crew is working on excavating technological workings from level 950, which will allow for deepening shaft II and starting the work on the new 1120 m level. Production from the new level is planned to start in 2030, but the first longwalls from this level will be put into sublevel operation already in 2027. According to estimates, the mine's resources will enable it to operate until 2051.
