Matthew Busch (Danish School of Journalism)
What Coal Left Behind
Award of Excellence
International Picture Story
It is illegal for private citizens to mine for coal in the city of WaÅ‚brzych, Poland. But some still do it to survive. It didn’t used to be this way. Coal mining in WaÅ‚brzych dates back to the 14th century. During the height of Poland’s hard coal industry in 1979, 201 million tons were mined, a record for the region to date. The hard coal produced in the region is located in the Lower Silesia Basin that runs along Poland’s border with the Czech Republic. After Poland’s transition from a planned economy to a market economy in the early 1990s the following upheaval of the nation’s coal industry was swift. Coal mining in WaÅ‚brzych was effectively shut down by the early 2000s and what defined the region for decades is now only physically present in the landscape surrounding the city. The state’s reasons for shutting down coal mining in the region are still unclear to many in WaÅ‚brzych. Decisions were made at the state level. And even though coal production was still viable in the region for years to come, the industry in the region came to a halt.
For illegal coal miners, the natural resource beneath their feet provides a means to an end. “In Poland there is no work,” a miner says, “So we do this.” Constantly on the lookout for police, their group mines, bags, and sells coal for their livings. The oldest in one of the groups is in his late sixties, and has been mining like this for five years without incident from the police. If caught, each faces a fine and possible jail time. For him and for his younger counterparts, it is a tentative existence.
Story: What Coal Left Behind
What Coal Left Behind
Martin, 23, mines coal illegally with a group of men in Wałbrzych, Poland. The work is physical and the men use 17th century tools and methods. The only tools these men use are a pickax, shovel, and a few small buckets. Each bag of coal sells for about 20 zlt and will be used to heat homes by people that prefer the cheaper coal.
Story: What Coal Left Behind
What Coal Left Behind
A miner shovels handfuls of coal into a bucket that he will later sell for cash.
Story: What Coal Left Behind
What Coal Left Behind
Smoke from coal and wood heating rises above a residential area in Podgórze, a district of Wałbrzych. Using wood and coal is much cheaper than central heating here.
Story: What Coal Left Behind
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Marek, a former miner in the Walbrzych coal mines in Poland, now mines coal illegally with his son and two other partners. Working in the mines is hard work, but it allows them to earn money using their skills.
Story: What Coal Left Behind
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Zbyszek and his wife take a break from mining coal in their neighborhood of Wałbrzych, Poland with a few beers. Mining coal like this is illegal but some of the older miners, like Zbyszek, can't find work elsewhere and so they put their old skills to use. Zbyszek's wife usually looks out for police patrolling the area.
Story: What Coal Left Behind
What Coal Left Behind
A man shovels coal into buckets to take up to his flat in Wałbrzych in order to heat his home. Many houses in the city are still heated with coal, but the city provided coal is often too expensive for residents or there isn't enough of it.
Story: What Coal Left Behind
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David Sady, 19, right, spends time with his neihgbors and friends in their neighborhood park outside his mother’s flat in Wałbrzych. Sady has mined coal illegally in the past, and did it because he says there are no other jobs available for him.
Story: What Coal Left Behind
What Coal Left Behind
Two couples celebrate a friend’s 18th birthday party at a discoteque in Wałbrzych. Marcin Jankowski, 23, second from left, is known as a boxer in the region, but after he was sent to prison for assault, and later again for illegal coal mining, he had to find another job in the area. Now he works as a package deliverer and has hopes of leaving Poland to work in Germany with his girlfriend, Patricia, pictured left.