Underground walking tour

Podzemlje Pece is a former lead and zinc mine under the mountain of Peca, near Mežica in the Mežica valley in northern Slovenia, close to the Austrian border. Ore was dug here for generations, and the mine, which closed in the 1990s, left behind hundreds of kilometres of galleries running through the limestone. Rather than being sealed off, part of the system has been opened to visitors, and the underground walking tour is the most direct way to see what working conditions were like. It sits alongside the other options in the Mine Tours programme, such as the Guided mining train tour, Kayak Tours on underground water and Bike Tours, but it is the one that requires nothing except comfortable shoes.

A visit begins at the mine entrance, where guides give helmets and, if needed, warm clothing. The tunnels stay at a constant cool temperature of around ten degrees all year, so a jacket is a good idea even on hot days, and the air feels damp. Walking in single file, you move along passages cut by hand and later by machine, past rails, ore cars and displays of tools. Guides explain how miners drilled, blasted and hauled the ore, how ventilation and pumping kept the workings safe, and what shifts were like in the cramped and often dangerous conditions. The scale of the network, with galleries on many levels, gives a sense of how big the operation was.

The mine shaped the surrounding valley. Mežica grew up around it, the families of miners lived in neighbourhoods built for them, and the tradition of the miners' guild, with its songs and ceremonies, continued in the community. The tour places the technical details within that human context, and children often enjoy the helmets and the experience of walking underground. Some tours include a tasting in the spirit of a traditional Miner's lunch with mulled wine, and the lunch is a pleasant way to end the visit.

The mountain above the mine is also worth exploring. Peca is a broad, forested massif on the border with Austria with hiking and cycling routes, and the valley has a quiet, rural feel. Visitors should check the current schedule before travelling, because tours run at set times and the more adventurous programmes need advance booking. Podzemlje Pece is a good choice for a rainy day, since the underground temperature is the same whatever the weather, and it suits visitors with an interest in industrial history.