Nevřeň

Kaolin mine at Nevŕeň by Pilsen is an unique monument reminding of mining technology formerly frequently used in the region. Large rooms up to 18 meters high were manually dug on several etages in relatively soft kaolinic sandstones. Walls are rich on both pick marks and small lamp niches. Raw kaolin was grinded, washed and manually baled nearby.
Mining took place there between 1870 and 1897. The area was a place of interest of cavers from Plisen since 1950s. At 1981, they managed to open and document part of the underground. This part was just a section of the former mine, as frequent depressions reveal at the surface, but it was well preserved.
The mine slowly became quite a popular place and was visited by various people, both local and nonresident. Kaolinic clay, which may be found there, combinedwith their artistic skills gave birth to many sculptures and relief signatures on walls. One of them, a fake corpse dressed in old rags, part of which may be seen on this image's foreground, even stirred up local police a bit.
The underground was closed recently in a sensible way, unfortunately someone destroyed most of local sculptures before.

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