Mayrau is a traditional coal-mining village outside Prague. The mine was closed in 1997 in consequence of a more competitive capitalist approach of the country’s industry.

I spent 5 weeks in Mayrau in 2004, documenting the old mining machinery, which dated from the early 1900s. I interviewed miner veterans, most of them now unemployed or retired.

This video piece focuses on the miners’ memories; some of them painfully recalling a time of strong communal life within the mining society, others sharing memories of extremely dangerous working conditions, health hazards, accidents and almost fatal disasters far down underneath the surface of the earth. The imagery shows parts of the main hauling engine as it is in motion. This enormous engine was the heart of the mine.

View video (5 min QT video, 10.5 MB)

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