Ready to explore a place where industry meets nature? This is the Skanzen Solvayovy lomy. It is a museum born from the remnants of a limestone quarry.
The Skanzen Solvayovy lomy owes its name to the Belgian Solvay company. Solvay needed limestone for its soda factory in Ústí nad Labem. Buying from various suppliers proved costly. In 1916, they decided to open their own quarry.
The location was chosen near Svatý Jan pod Skalou. Geological surveys confirmed the quality of the limestone. The first mining operations started in June 1918. The initial quarry expanded. A second quarry was opened to meet the growing demand. A 217-meter tunnel connected the two sites.
The Solvay company ceased quarrying in 1956. The site was handed over to road administration for local road construction. Quarrying continued until 1964. The Skanzen Solvayovy lomy fell silent for many years.
In 1993, a group of enthusiasts formed Společnost Barbora. Their mission was to preserve mining and industrial heritage. They began restoring the narrow-gauge railway. They gathered old locomotives and wagons. The Skanzen Solvayovy lomy was slowly reborn.
Today, the Skanzen Solvayovy lomy features a mining and transport museum. It has nearly two kilometers of track. There is also a 139-meter-long tunnel. The collection includes over 150 wagons. It boasts more than 50 locomotives.
The Skanzen Solvayovy lomy has unique exhibits. These include an exhibition of cable cars. Also on display are dumping trucks and various vehicles. Visitors can view excavators and road rollers. Stone crushers are also present. Two vintage tram cars add to the collection. One was built in 1924 for Prague’s transit authority.
Originally, a 1500-meter cable car line transported the limestone. It connected the quarry to a railway in Loděnice. It operated from 1918. The cable car system was modernized in 1932. The lower station was converted for truck loading in 1959. The line closed in 1965. Only the upper station remains.
The Skanzen Solvayovy lomy is now building a third quarry stage. The plan includes a route to Bubovice. This will make the total track length approximately five kilometers. The Skanzen Solvayovy lomy also plans to restore the cable car’s upper station.
The narrow-gauge railway uses 600 mm tracks. Until 1929, workers manually pushed the wagons. The first gasoline locomotive arrived in 1930. After World War II, Stavoloko BNE 25 machines were used. Today, two narrow-gauge steam locomotives are part of the Skanzen Solvayovy lomy’s collection.
What was once a vital industrial site is now a living museum. Skanzen Solvayovy lomy shows the transformation of industry and the resilience of those who preserve its legacy.