- Anniversaries are elevations in the landscape of our lives. They direct our eyes towards the road we have travelled - this quote from Christian Chutz was used by Edward Paździorko, Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa's Vice-President for Technical and Operational Matters, to introduce the participants of the gala meeting in the AGH auditorium on 8 March to the history of the Budryk mine in Ornontowice.
- The construction of the mine was planned in the 1970s. It was to be one of several mines planned for construction to support the implementation of the Ministry of Mining’s plans at the time, in which this investment was very valuable as it would increase coking coal output. Work on the site began on 21 December 1978 - said Vice-President Paździorko.
The end of the 1970s marked the beginning of the Great Depression in Poland at that time, which lasted continuously for more than a dozen years. The history of the construction of the mine was full of dramatic moments. On several occasions, the fate of the project came into question due to a lack of funding sources. Luckily, all adversity was overcome and the first ton of coal was brought to the surface on 14 March 1994.
- Thirty years after this event, the Budryk mine has produced 82.3 million tons of coal and 353 km of workings have been drilled - said Vice-President Paździorko.
The time spent in the AGH auditorium was special for the employees of the Budryk mine and for the AGH University of Science and Technology. The Budryk mine is the last major mining project in Poland. The meeting in the AGH auditorium was another in a series of meetings dedicated to the 30th anniversary of coal mining at the Ornontovice mine. The mine's patron is Professor Witold Budryk, a Polish mining engineer, lecturer and rector of the Mining Academy, the first mining specialist with a doctorate in mining in the history of Poland. The exhibition dedicated to the Budryk mine and the ceremonial academy were an excellent opportunity to present the mine as a modern company, using the intellectual achievements of, among others, scientists from the AGH University of Science and Technology.
