Lousal Mines - Portugal
Posted by: manchanegra
N 38° 02.111 W 008° 25.556
29S E 550377 N 4209874
Lousal Mine was explored between 1900 and 1988 and is located in the Iberian Pyrit Belt.
Waymark Code: WM6754
Location: Setúbal, Portugal
Date Posted: 04/15/2009
Views: 14
Lousal Mine was explored between 1900 and 1988 and is located in the Iberian Pyrit Belt that, being about 250km long and in some places 40 km wide, starts in the Sado River valley and ends in the Guadalquivir River valley, close to Sevilla, Spain.
When the mining exploration ceased in 1988 it didn't take more than 10 years to the last owner and the local municipality to unite forces in order to give Lousal back its social, economic and cultural development dynamic.
That Project, called "Programa de Desenvolvimento Integrado e de Redinamizacão do Lousal" (Lousal's Redynamic and Integrated Development Program) is also supported by Associação Portuguesa de Arqueologia Industrial (Portuguese Association of Industrial Archeology) that is in charge of the "Projecto de Musealização da Mina do Lousal" (Lousal Mine Musealisation Project) with three main targets:
Cultural- Preservation and rehabilitation of the mining patrimony (on its components of archeology and mining history, geological history and industrial archeology);
Scientific- Study and divulgation of what can be done with that patrimony, namely through a Documentation Centre / Archive that is to be created close to the Museum, and its publications.
Pedagogic - The possibility, for the first time for the Portuguese public, especially to students and others who are interested, to have contact with the Mining universe and the miners.
They have also programmed the creation of touristic structures (hotels, leisure places, camping, rural tourism, restaurants), professional formation, micro- firms and cultural equipment. Because all of this must be combined together, the Program goes on slowly to assure the project’s quality and protect the interests of all the parties involved.
Mine Type: Abandoned Mine
Mineral Collecting: Not Known
Material Mined: Non-Precious Metal
Operation: Underground Mine
Surface Features: Yes
KNOWN DANGERS: Because the mining patrimony recovering is not complete, please be aware about the degradation state in which some places can be found, which could be dangerous if you’re not careful.
Pay a lot of attention to where you put your feet and to the loose roof parts that can fall.
Don't take unnecessary risks!
Any Other information: At the area we recommend visiting the Mining Museum, the local handcraft stores and Tapada do Lousal, as the dam is known and where you can find the GC12659.
There are several places of the old mine that can be visited, like the old warehouses close to the cache or the well entrance at a distance.
There is also a Megalithic Monument that can be visited in the path that leads to the nearby geocache GC167NE
Any associated website: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:
Optional photograph welcomed.