The Czech Republic has formally brought nearly two and a half centuries of hard coal mining to a close, marking the moment with a symbolic final cart of black coal lifted from a depth of 1300 metres. The ceremony took place on Wednesday at the CSM mine in Stonava, close to the Polish border, and was attended by current and former miners, officials, and invited guests.
State-owned mining company OKD confirmed that the CSM operation was the country’s last active hard coal mine and said production had become unsustainable due to rising costs. Speaking at the event, OKD general director Roman Sikora described the closure as a historic milestone and paid tribute to generations of miners who shaped the country’s industrial development.
Over its long history, the CSM mine developed an underground network exceeding one million metres in length and became the setting for several notable moments, including a wedding held almost 900 metres below ground in 1992. The mine was also visited underground by playwright and former Czech president Václav Havel in the early 1990s.
The shutdown marks the end of an era for the Moravian-Silesian region, long defined by heavy industry and coal production. While around 700 workers will remain involved in decommissioning and closure activities, others are expected to transition into retraining programmes.
Hard coal, also known as black coal or anthracite, is valued for its high carbon content and energy density. Although underground hard coal mining has now ended in the Czech Republic, lignite extraction in open-cast mines is expected to continue until 2033. Comparable closures have already taken place elsewhere in Europe, including Germany, which shut its last hard coal mine in the Ruhr region in 2018.
