Traditional “Mining Příbram in Science and Technology” conference was held under the auspices of OKD

PŘÍBRAM – The Příbram theatre was full of miner’s traditional costumes, festive atmosphere and professional lectures on mining. Last week it hosted the 49th Mining Příbram in Science and Technology, organised by DIAMO state enterprise and the Employers’ Association of Mining and Oil Industries under the auspices of OKD. The lectures presented in the premises of the local theatre were divided into three sections: Legislation, European Mining – Tradition and Monuments and Science, Research and Technology in Mining.

“Mining Příbram is a traditional event, worth a visit. The experts present a broad portfolio of interesting topics and solutions to various aspects of work in mines. Many proposals are later successfully applied in the mining practice, whether it concerns the improvement of occupational safety in mines, which is the most important thing in OKD mines, or proposals of industrial designs and patents assisting in tackling non-standard situations in mining,“ noted Zdeněk Pavelek, the chief engineer of OKD Main Mine Rescue Station. At the symposium he presented the results of the project on addressing the issues of self-ignition of coal in reopened mining sites, on which he worked together with the university professors from Ostrava, namely Boleslav Tabara (Faculty of Science of the University of Ostrava) and Pavel Prokop (Faculty of Mining and Geology, VŠB-Technical University in Ostrava).

The discussions covered a broad range of topics. “We managed to attract experts competent to talk about extraction of black coal and lignite, uranium, safety measures in mines, reclamation and remediation of areas affected by mining, history of mining in our country, preservation of monuments and building museums, or activities of mining associations. Everybody must have found something of interest in mining-related topics,“ explained Josef Velft, the director of  the Mining Museum Příbram.

The conference was also attended by the Czech mining icon, the former chairman of the Czech Mining Authority, Professor Roman Makarius, who in his lecture concentrated on addressing the conflicts of interest in licensing mining activities and on relevant legislation.

Mining Příbram, however, did not take place only in lecture halls. A historical parade walked through the town, during which students of the local secondary technical school were initiated in the Mining and Metallurgical Guild. In the evening the traditional “Jump over a leather apron” rite took place in the local gym hall. Last day the participants in the conference went for a trip during which they visited the museums dedicated to mining in Rožmitál pod Třemšínem and Strašice.

(Marek Síbrt)