Origins of Copper in Poland
The copper deposits found in southwestern Poland—within the Sudetic and Fore-Sudetic regions—were formed approximately 200 million years ago. Today, the largest known reserves are located in the Fore-Sudetic Monocline near Lubin and Polkowice and in the North Sudetic Basin near Legnica and Bolesławiec. However, the earliest copper mining activity in Poland dates back to the Świętokrzyskie Mountains and Carpathians.
Although copper extraction in these regions began in the Middle Ages, modern exploration accelerated in the late 19 th century in response to rising demand driven by industrialization and electrification across Europe. This period saw the discovery of substantial copper-silver deposits in the North Sudetic Basin, giving rise to the Old Copper Basin, which laid the industrial foundation for Poland’s mining sector.
