MINEC

The decision to build a new smelter in Chorzow was made by the Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm III. in 1799. Construction works were completed in 1802 and the first blast furnace was put into operation. Besides the pig iron production a zinc foundry "Lydognia" was built within. First puddling furnace, forge and rail rolling mill was commissioned in 1834.

By the 1860 four blast furnaces and a coke plant were already active. The works were purchased by a private buyer and named as "Huta Królewska". Open-hearth steel making shop and the first Bessemer converter were put into operation between 1880 - 1895. Puddling furnaces and Bessemer process of refining steel was replaced in 1912 by Thomas converter. Ironworks, under Polish administration since 1935, were newly renamed to "Huta Pilsudski". However until the Second World War only when the smelter was renamed again to "Königshütte" under German domination.

In the 50´s new blast furnaces and coke ovens were built, by that time the mill employs over 8,000 workers.

Dating-out technology and environmentally unfavorable location in the middle of urban development lead to a definitive cease of steel production in 1978. Coke plant followed in 1982 and the last blast furnace in Chorzow was blown-out in 1991.

Until today survived only the section rolling mill owned by ArcelorMittal and the forge, known as MINEC since 1992.

Keywords: kuznia, forge, kovárna, minec, chorzow, silesia, slask, hammer, industriekultur, industrial photography, industrialni fotografie, prumyslova fotografie, huta krolewska, 2022

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