{"id":301,"date":"2026-02-16T19:25:04","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T19:25:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.slanskevrchy.com\/?post_type=poi&p=301"},"modified":"2026-07-29T11:59:55","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T11:59:55","slug":"slovenske-opalove-bane","status":"publish","type":"poi","link":"https:\/\/www.slanskevrchy.com\/en\/poi\/slovenske-opalove-bane\/","title":{"rendered":"Slovak Opal Mines"},"content":{"rendered":"

World unique hidden in the Slansk\u00e9 hills<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Between Pre\u0161ov and Ko\u0161ice there is a mountain of volcanic origin. Slansk\u00e9 vrchy in its heart hide a world unique, the largest and oldest opal mines in the world<\/strong>. Dubn\u00edck\u00e9 mines are historically and culturally significant site, whose history dates back to the times before our era. The precious opal from Dubn\u00edk enchanted many a ruler, alchemist or poet. Until the end of the 19th century it was the only open deposit of precious opal in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rich underground<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Slovak opal is a certified geographical designation of precious opal, which comes from deposits in the Slansk\u00e9 vrchy Mountains in Eastern Slovakia. For centuries, Slovak precious opals have been distinguished by their intense play of colours, the so-called opalescence, and they are highly valued worldwide for their unique properties.\u00a0The underground of the mines consists of an intricate network of tunnels over 35 kilometres in length.<\/strong>\u00a0The mining of precious opal at Dubn\u00edk continued until 1922. Deep underground in the mines, you\u2019ll discover the history of Dubn\u00edk\u2019s precious opal through your own senses; you\u2019ll learn how opal was formed, how it was mined and processed, and how jewellery made from precious opal adorned the necklines and heads of the world\u2019s queens. A visit to the opal mines is also an excellent choice for a school trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did you know that:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  • they are the oldest opal mines in the world<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • These were the only opal mines in the world until the discovery of precious opal deposits in Australia in the late 19th century<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • they are the most extensive opal mines in the world<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • The Harlequin is the largest opal ever found here and is housed in the Natural History Museum in Vienna<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • The Trojan fire, one of the most famous opal necklaces, adorned the d\u00e9colletage of Empress Jos\u00e9phine Bonaparte<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Queen Victoria's head was adorned with an opal tiara with 17 opals from Dubn\u00edk<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • 16 species of bats and more than 8 000 individuals hibernate in the mines<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • the temperature in the mines is a constant 6\u00b0C<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    You can find out more interesting facts about precious opal and this site, which is steeped in history, during a guided tour of the opal mines. A tip for a walk \u2013 the Opal Mines Nature Trail is located nearby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Source.
    Photo source:OOCR R\u0160<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":302,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"kategoria-poi":[18,48,28],"lokalita":[],"sezona-poi":[30],"class_list":["post-301","poi","type-poi","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","kategoria-poi-historiaine-vyznamne-pamiatky","kategoria-poi-pre-rodiny-s-detmi","kategoria-poi-historiaprehliadky-so-sprievodcom","sezona-poi-celorocne"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slanskevrchy.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/poi\/301","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slanskevrchy.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/poi"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slanskevrchy.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/poi"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slanskevrchy.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/302"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slanskevrchy.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=301"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"kategoria-poi","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slanskevrchy.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/kategoria-poi?post=301"},{"taxonomy":"lokalita","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slanskevrchy.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/lokalita?post=301"},{"taxonomy":"sezona-poi","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slanskevrchy.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sezona-poi?post=301"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}