St. Barbara`s Day celebrations of the mining supervision at the Silesian Museum

5 December 2025

On Friday, 5 December 2025, the mining supervision’s celebrations were held in Katowice. The event began with a Holy Mass at the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Katowice, followed by the second part of the miners’ holiday celebrations, which took place in the underground interiors of the Silesian Museum in Katowice.

As every year, the ceremonial academy was attended by several hundred guests, including representatives of state and local authorities, uniformed services, trade unions, scientific and research institutions cooperating with the State Mining Authority (SMA), members of the clergy, and delegations from mining plants across Poland. These plants represent a wide range of extractive industries, including hard coal and lignite, natural gas, oil, copper ore, aggregates, salt and sulphur.

In his opening speech, SMA President Piotr Litwa welcomed the guests and thanked them for their initiatives and activities contributing to the improvement of occupational safety and health protection for miners, the optimal development of mineral deposits, and the reduction of the negative impact of mining on people and the environment. He emphasised the importance of multidimensional and consistent cooperation between authorities, institutions and research centres in these areas. At the same time, he noted that despite joint efforts to improve health and safety in mining, eight tragic incidents had occurred this year, resulting in the deaths of 12 miners. A minute of silence was observed during the ceremony to honour the memory of all miners who passed away in 2025. President Litwa also highlighted the significant commitment of mining supervision authorities in overseeing projects that involve the use of mining techniques. These include, among others, works carried out in decommissioned mining plants related to the maintenance of drainage systems, activities in underground excavations preserved for tourist, therapeutic and recreational purposes, as well as tunnel drilling projects. In conclusion, he stressed that a key priority for mining supervision in the coming years will be the optimisation of human and financial resources in order to achieve the best possible results in supervisory and inspection activities within the limits of available capabilities.

The SMA Miners’ Day Academy is not only an occasion for ceremonial speeches and greetings, but also a traditional opportunity to honour mining supervision employees with state and ministerial decorations and awards. The St. Barbara’s Day celebrations are therefore an important event not only for mining authorities, but also for all those who work to improve occupational safety in the mining industry throughout Poland.

Among the guests at the St. Barbara’s Day celebrations were also representatives of the youngest generation - children from the Catholic Children’s Foundation at the Parish of St. Peter and Paul in Katowice. In cooperation with the State Mining Authority and the Prof. Wacław Cybulski Safe Mining Foundation, the foundation organised an art competition entitled “Bezpieczny Gwarek” (“Safe Miner”). The competition aimed to promote awareness of occupational safety and health protection in mining among children and young adults, as well as to broaden their knowledge of the hazards faced by miners, rescuers and other professionals involved in mining activities.