Coal Mining Complex Mine K-OD

An abandoned coal mining complex dating from the communist era, when prisoners provided the labour. It sits in a valley enclosed by mountains. Several primitive mines once operated in the surrounding area; most have already collapsed. Only one adit is known with certainty to have survived, though its entrance is blocked by an artificial dam built to create a water reservoir. The portal of this adit stands closest to the industrial buildings, suggesting it was the main haulage adit into which coal was tipped from various mining levels.

Spoil heaps are visible everywhere, already overgrown with trees. The remains of conveyor systems, coal-loading structures, and mine cart tipplers have been preserved. At one spot, an Orthodox church was built roughly ten years ago — likely in honour of the miners who lost their lives here.

The route to the site passes through a gorge along a poor dirt road. The scenery here contrasts sharply with the views on the plain below. A remarkably picturesque place.