Industrial Plants R-1

On 1 January 1948, an enterprise began prospecting for and extracting uranium deposits. It was established under a Polish-Soviet agreement, and its operations were classified as a state secret. The name Industrial Plants R-1 was introduced in 1951, when Kopalnie Kowarskie was renamed. R-1's history concerns a network of exploration workings, mines and shipments, not just the passages seen during a single visit.

Exploration focused on the Sudetes, but also extended to the Carpathians, the Świętokrzyskie Mountains and the Upper Silesian Coal Basin. Between 1948 and 1953, the work identified 85 occurrences of uranium mineralisation in the Sudetes. Not every occurrence amounted to a deposit that could be mined.

Uranium obtained in Poland was shipped to the Soviet Union. Deliveries continued until 1967, beyond the period of direct Soviet involvement in exploration. The underground exhibition introduces this subject through the history of supervision, restricted areas and ore shipments. Liczyrzepa provides a starting point for understanding the wider system, from locating deposits in the field to sending the raw material abroad.