Located at a depth of 70 meters (230 feet), this underground museum gives its visitors a unique opportunity to get themselves familiar with the nuts and bolts of mining engineering and see how snow-white gypsum is mined underground via tour around an underground gypsum mine. A part of the museum’s display is dedicated to history of mining engineering and developing of local gypsum deposit that began back in 1930’s.
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Old entrance to the mines which is not used anymore.
Right at the new entrance to the mine stand lots of mine cars filled to the brims with gypsum.
The thing is that the museum itself is located in the existing mines. But gypsum digging is performed 2.5 kilometers away from the entrance and the museum is located 300 meters away.
Every visitor is given a helmet, flashlight and a special vest. Because the temperature inside can be as low as +9C (+48F.)
One of rooms is dedicated to geology and there are displayed as many as 300 exhibits of earth materials from all over Russia and CIS.
All this fortune is kept by Mistress of Gypsum Mountain.
There are also displayed small figurines of some dinosaurs and extinct animals made of gypsum.
And not only small ones. And made not of gypsum.
Some cave drawings.
And these are remnants of some then-gaping tourist.
That was a joke, of course.
This one is called Gosha for some reason
Gypsum itself is a bit crystal-like by the way.
And some other, way-back shots:
Photo and story via mr-ank
thirst
Second!
worst.
Hot mines.
That was weird….. Dinosaurs in a gypsum mine. Lot’s of ‘em.
Now, just think of all the gypsum boards that go into houses. When those houses are brought down, that stuff just goes in a landfill. What a waste.
The irony is that the stuff going back into the land may well be reused again in a thousand years, for who knows what purpose.
My expectations for somethings interesting here have again been lowered.
you stole my comment!)
First one to say First.
Nice museum, with some weird kitsch touches – and why not? I guess the manager has got a sense of humour!
It’s great that people can go down mines now voluntarily.
listen ye of little faith give a person a break OK? its hard to make everything fascinating. if you want to be fascinated about gypsum take a peek at this one minute video, guarantied you will never forget it, or my name aint orvilredenbaker!!
oups! sorry forgot to add the link!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8466493.stm
Who’s the funny “Golden Guy” in last picture? famous soviet cave explorer?
But why are the rusianias now trying to mine gypsies? Why do they not simply leave them alone??? If you steal from someone who stole what you steal… is it really “stealing?” Think about it. LOLZ!
Anything underground is cool, shoot you could put a ball down there and that would be great!