The Gumyoshevsky mine ( rus, Гумёшевский рудник, Gumjoshevskij rudnik), also called Gumeshki, Gumeshevsky or Gumishevskoye mine is a

copper mine Copper extraction refers to the methods used to obtain copper from its ores. The conversion of copper consists of a series of physical and electrochemical processes. Methods have evolved and vary with country depending on the ore source, loca ...

located in the town of

Polevskoy Polevskoy (russian: Полевско́й) is a town in Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia, located southwest of Yekaterinburg, the administrative center of the oblast. Population: 60,000 (1974); 25,000 (1939). History The town is best known for its ...

, in Sverdlovsk Oblast of

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

. It has estimated reserves of 48.5 million tonnes of ore grading 1.02% copper. It was called "The Copper Mountain" or simply "The Mountain" by the local populace. Gumyoshevsky mine is one of the oldest mines of the

Ural Mountains The Ural Mountains ( ; rus, Ура́льские го́ры, r=Uralskiye gory, p=ʊˈralʲskʲɪjə ˈɡorɨ; ba, Урал тауҙары) or simply the Urals, are a mountain range that runs approximately from north to south through western ...

, Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary from its early history at the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

. It was in use from the mid-

2nd millennium BC The 2nd millennium BC spanned the years 2000 BC to 1001 BC. In the Ancient Near East, it marks the transition from the Middle to the Late Bronze Age. The Ancient Near Eastern cultures are well within the historical era: The first half of the mil ...

and continued to be used for centuries. In 1758 large deposits of oxidized copper were discovered there. In the 18th century Gumyoshevsky mine represented the largest copper reserve of the Ural Mountains, and gained fame as the major supplier of

malachite Malachite is a copper carbonate hydroxide mineral, with the formula Cu2CO3(OH)2. This opaque, green-banded mineral crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system, and most often forms botryoidal, fibrous, or stalagmitic masses, in fracture ...

. It produced 450-480 tons of copper annually. About 500 workers were employed at the mine. The Gumyoshevsky malachite was popular because of its exceptional quality. It was used for decorating the

Winter Palace The Winter Palace ( rus, Зимний дворец, Zimnij dvorets, p=ˈzʲimnʲɪj dvɐˈrʲɛts) is a palace in Saint Petersburg that served as the official residence of the Russian Emperor from 1732 to 1917. The palace and its precincts now ...

Saint Michael's Castle Saint Michael's Castle (russian: Миха́йловский за́мок, ''Mikhailovsky zamok''), also called the Mikhailovsky Castle or the Engineers' Castle (russian: Инженерный замок, ''Inzhenerny zamok''), is a former royal ...

,Кальницкая Е. Я., Kalnitskaya E. A. Цветной камень в истории и реставрации Михайловского замка //Известия Уральского государственного университета. Сер. 2, Гуманитарные науки. 2008. N 59, вып. 16. – 2008. the Palace of Versailles, the

Saint Isaac's Cathedral Saint Isaac's Cathedral or Isaakievskiy Sobor (russian: Исаа́киевский Собо́р) is a large architectural landmark cathedral that currently functions as a museum with occasional church services in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is ...

. The samples of ores and minerals from the mine are now kept in the museums around the world, e.g. in the

Museum für Naturkunde The Natural History Museum (german: Museum für Naturkunde) is a natural history museum located in Berlin, Germany. It exhibits a vast range of specimens from various segments of natural history and in such domain it is one of three major muse ...

in Berlin, Germany. For a long time it supplied ore for

Polevskoy Copper Smelting Plant The Polevskoy Copper Smelting Plant ( rus, Полевской медеплавильный завод, Polevskoj medeplavilnyj zavod), also known as Polevaya or Poleva, was one of the major metallurgical facilities located in Polevskoy, in Sverdl ...

(1724–1870).

References

{{coord missing, Sverdlovsk Oblast Copper mines in Russia Sverdlovsk Oblast History of Sverdlovsk Oblast