The scenic value of abandoned mining areas in Poland

Abandoned Polish mining areas are commonly heavily transformed so that they endanger no longerthe environment. A disadvantage is that the newly created areas commonly contribute to themonotonous urban-industrial landscape, rather than providing additional value. This is partly due tolegislation that hampers a more diversified management of abandoned mining areas as potentiallyvaluable landforms. One of the legal barriers that restricts the possibilities of making these areas moreattractive, regards the utilization of remaining exploitation holes (i.e. land depressions of at least 2 mdeep, formed as a result of open-pit mining of energy, chemical, building or metallurgical resources)and waste heaps as important cultural and scenic elements. Such a new use of these old mininginduced phenomena is important if it is intended not only to involve the regional population in theprocess of exploring and exploiting the earth’s resources, but also to confront them with somenegative consequences of these activities, including shaping the landscape in which these objects aresituated. The current attitude towards a new architecture for abandoned mining areas should bereconsidered; particularly the present-day approach based on narrow specializations – for instance ofexperts in mineral exploitation, spatial planning or environmental protection – should be replaced byinterdisciplinary action regarding shaping the landscape of abandoned mining areas