About the Company

History of mining in Grochów area dates back to the Middle Ages when precious stones and metal ores were sought here. Between 1819 and 1823 chrysoprase was mined, and in the middle of the 19th century, brown coal.

However, the greatest wealth in the area is the magnesite. Originally it was used as a local building stone, so-called “stone marrow.” In 1862 magnesite mining began on an industrial scale. The main customer was the army. It used the raw material as a cleaning agent. Another application of the magnesite was production of “artificial” mineral water. Mixing ordinary water with magnesite powder resulted in a mineral water. In the 1880s, after discovery of magnesite’s resistance to high temperatures, new mines were established and roasting furnaces were constructed. The magnesite was used to produce crucible linings and inner linings of steel smelting furnaces. A modern magnesite processing plant with mills and roasting furnaces was erected on the site of the current mine in 1923.

In 1934, nine magnesite mines operated in the Grochów area: Szczęść Boże, Grochów I, Grochów II, Grochów III, Konstanty, Anna, Kojancin, Małgorzata, Klara. The average monthly output reached 750 – 1000 tons and the recipients of the magnesite were mainly Silesian steel mills. During the World War II exploitation of the magnesite was continued.

The magnesite mines were part of Zjednoczenie Przemysłu Materiałów Ogniotrwałych (Association of Refractory Materials Plants), with its office in Gliwice, Dolnośląskie Zakłady Surowców Ogniotrwałych (Lower Silesia Refractory Raw Materials Plants in Ząbkowice Śląskie), and then Świdnickie Zakłady Materiałów Ogniotrwałych (Świdnica Refractory Materials Plants).

In 1959, an open-pit mine was launched. It still operates today under its current name Magnesites Grochów S.A.