Agria 42. (Az Egri Múzeum Évkönyve - Annales Musei Agriensis, 2006)

Szvircsek Ferenc: A Nógrád megyei üzemszerű szénbányászat összegző történeti áttekintése (1848–1992)

Ferenc Szvircsek The History of Coal Mining in Nógrád County (1848-1992) The triple seam of lower Miocene coal forming the Nógrád coalfield stretches from Kékkő (Modry Kamen, Slovakia) to the Borsod Basin. The coal seam was first discovered in the Salgó region in 1766 by Pest coopers, while the mining and exploitation of the region started in 1848 in the northern and central sections of the coalfield. At the turn of the 20th century it was one of the most significant mining regions in the country, using technology which stood comparison with that used elsewhere in Europe. From the first third of the 20th century the high quality coal seams gradually became exhausted, and mining was forced to move into the southern areas of the county. The mining companies, who were always suffering from a shortage of capital, were bought up by the large mining concerns, who played a decisive role in the period up to nationalisation. The arrival of the capitalist mining companies led to the use of steam energy from 1868, which was subsequently replaced by DC electrical traction and AC electrical equipment from the end of the 19th century. From 1910 coal mines served by shafts were accompanied by drift mines with their gently slopping tunnels, and it was in those years that Nógrád was considered the home of the chain and wire coal conveyors. It was at this time also that mining companies started to become centralised, chutes and grading apparatus came into being, and underground coal conveyors, water lifting equipment and ventilation systems were updated. Alongside the pneumatic picks, coal-cutters and electronic hammer drills also found a place in the mines. From 1924 it was realised that better coal needed to be found in the coalfield. The steady development seen in mining in the county that had taken place up to nationalisation meant that the industry occupied an important position in the new political and economic order. From 1946 the main task was the rebuilding of the mines, increasing coal production, and the successful conclusion of the first three-year plan. It was period of extensive development, and a search for coal. With mass recruitment production rose, and soldiers as well as women could be found working in the mines. Improvements were also made on the technical and technological side, and with the benefit of the new equipment workers could work more productively and in greater safety. New means of coal extraction were also used. After 1965 the role coal played in the people's economy was reviewed, as a result of which the mines of the Nógrád coalfield were considered uneconomical. Despite the rapid closures that followed, it was a time when new records were 622