Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Poland The Disappeared City of Miedzianka

The Disappeared City of Miedzianka

This formerly-prosperous Silesian mining town was completely demolished in the late 1960s and early 1970s as an attempt to cover up a secret Soviet uranium mine.

Miedzianka, Poland

Added By
Kris Best
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Forest ruins of a church that used to be part of Miedzianka   gypsyblue / Atlas Obscura User
View over the former main market square of Miedzianka, now an overgrown field   gypsyblue / Atlas Obscura User
The main street of Miedzianka now, looking towards the church   gypsyblue / Atlas Obscura User
Historical images of the former Kupferberg (Miedzianka) brewery   gypsyblue / Atlas Obscura User
Historical photos of the city centre of Miedzianka/Kupferberg   gypsyblue / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The city of Kupferberg ('Copper Mountain'), renamed 'Miedzianka' when the territory passed from Germany to Poland after World War II, was one of many prosperous mining towns in the mountains of Lower Silesia. As the name indicates, it was originally copper that was mined in this area—until the Soviets discovered after their occupation in 1945 that the local mines were also a rich source of uranium.

The Soviets quickly fenced off the area with barbed wire and forced local Poles to work in the uranium mines with no knowledge of the actual dangers. Officially, it was called a "paper factory," and miners suffering from radiation poisoning were formally ignored. Anyone who attempted to reveal the true nature of the mines near Miedzianka was promptly 'disappeared' by the Communist government and never seen again.

After about 600 tonnes of uranium were shipped from Miedzianka to the Soviet Union, the local mine was considered to be exhausted, and the extensive tunneling underneath the town had left the ground unstable. The town itself was then torn down in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and most of the residents were forcibly resettled to the nearby city of Jelenia Góra.

Today, Miedzianka only exists in the form of a few scattered buildings, a church, and a resurrected form of its once-famous brewery along one surviving mountain road. The surrounding fields and forests are filled with the overgrown ruins of houses, factories, and cemeteries that used to form part of the city. Information boards on what was formerly the main square tell the story, accompanied by numerous photos, of what was once the bustling city center of Kupferberg/Miedzianka, now almost completely forgotten to the passage of time.

Related Tags

Ruins Mining Soviet History Cities History & Culture World War Ii

Know Before You Go

Miedzianka is about a 1-1.5km hike up the hill from the larger town of Janowice Wielkie, which has regular train and bus connections from Jelenia Góra and which also lies on some longer-distance train lines from Wrocław, Warsaw, Wałbrzeg and Görlitz. The newly-reestablished Miedzianka craft brewery (Miedzianka 57b, 58-520 Miedzianka) has English-speaking staff and also offers some historical documentation on the town in English and German.

Community Contributors

Added By

gypsyblue

Published

June 23, 2023

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://radioram.pl/articles/view/6720/Miedzianka-zemsta-Stalina-za-uran-Sluchowisko
  • https://www.polityka.pl/tygodnikpolityka/spoleczenstwo/303896,1,nie-ma-miasteczka-dlaczego-miedzianka-musiala-zniknac.read
The Disappeared City of Miedzianka
Miedzianka, 58-520
Poland
50.874393, 15.942617

Nearby Places

Muzeum Zabawek (Toy Museum)

Karpacz, Poland

miles away

Vang Stave Church

Karpacz, Poland

miles away

Karpacz's Gravitational Anomaly

Karpacz, Poland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Poland

Poland

Europe

Places 201
Stories 14

Nearby Places

Muzeum Zabawek (Toy Museum)

Karpacz, Poland

miles away

Vang Stave Church

Karpacz, Poland

miles away

Karpacz's Gravitational Anomaly

Karpacz, Poland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Poland

Poland

Europe

Places 201
Stories 14

Related Places

  • Former street in Kostrzyn

    Kostrzyn nad Odrą, Poland

    The Disappeared City Center of Kostrzyn

    The center of this Polish border town was so thoroughly wiped out in World War II that only the foundations remain.

  • The lone arch.

    Rookhope, England

    Rookhope Arch

    This magnificent arch is all that remains of a former smelt mill.

  • Stone Edge Cupola Chimney

    Chesterfield, England

    Stone Edge Cupola

    This chimney is the oldest free standing industrial chimney in Britain.

  • Old and new churches side by side.

    Berlin, Germany

    Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church

    An imperial church bombed to ruins during WWII now stands as a jagged memorial.

  • Stony Batter Historic Reserve

    Auckland, New Zealand

    Stony Batter Historic Reserve

    Large World War II gun emplacements and tunnel systems remain hidden near a remote end of Waiheke Island.

  • The Vank bell tower.

    Tbilisi, Georgia

    Vank Bell Tower

    When the Soviets destroyed the historic Armenian monastery they somehow left its bell tower intact.

  • Great Zimbabwe ruins from above

    Masvingo, Zimbabwe

    Great Zimbabwe

    The largest prehistoric ruins south of the Sahara, once a powerful center of international trade.

  • Wormsloe Historic Site tree canopy.

    Savannah, Georgia

    Wormsloe State Historic Site

    The tabby ruin is Savannah’s oldest surviving structure.

    Sponsored by Visit Savannah
Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.