Open-Air Mining Museum in Cigel'

The environs of the town of Prievidza is bound to enchant you with a variety of natural as well as cultural and historical attractions.

However, the Upper Nitra region is also famed for its coal extraction. Your experience will therefore be enhanced by a visit to the Upper Nitra Open-Air Mining Museum. It is open to the public in a lignite mine where coal extraction still takes place.

Join us in our exploration of the feeling of beauty, excitement and thrill of the world beneath our feet. Be a miner for a while and let yourself be embraced by a dark and mysterious area that smells of danger and is devoid of any daylight whatsoever.

The exposition presents the history of lignite mining in Slovakia, with a particular focus on the Upper Nitra region. You will discover a mysterious world of elves in myths and amusing tales that used to be narrated by miners. You will explore the unique above-ground areas, equipment and machinery of both the past and the present. You will take the journey into the underground on a typical miners' train. After the transport, the 566 m (619 yd) long walking excursion and presentation of the mining area with an expert commentary begins.

The Cigel mine is located around 5 km (3.1 mi) southeast of the district town of Prievidza.

Come and take a journey into the bowels of the earth. What is a mole's life like? Where is it that elves are hiding? The museum would like to show you how hard the journey towards the brown treasure of the underground is, and will present you the work of miners who go down the depth of the earth to beat nature while avoiding its traps.