The European Federation of Mining Routes of Santa Barbara (MINES.B) is a multifaceted project in which partners work to enhance and highlight the potential of areas that have played a key role in Europe's mining history. Emphasis is placed on tangible and intangible mining heritage , presented through a tourist and cultural itinerary that virtually connects some of Europe's most important mining sites.
The characteristic of this itinerary is that it includes several local routes : in fact, the MINES.B partners are committed to making this precious mining heritage accessible by creating routes accessible on foot and by bicycle, following the methods of slow and sustainable tourism .
Currently, the MINES.B international partnership is composed of:
- Les Sentiers de Grande Randonnée asbl – GR412 (Belgium);
- Idrija Mercury Heritage Management Center (Slovenia);
- Paroisse catholique romaine – Archidiocèse de Kutná Hora (Czech Republic);
- Mission Bassin Minier (France);
- Comarca Andorra-Sierra de Arcos (Spain);
- Le Bois du Cazier (Belgium);
- Santa Barbara Mining Trail Foundation (Italy).
MINES.B It was established on December 4, 2020, a symbolic date as the patron saint of miners is celebrated on this day.
The Federation's primary goal is to keep alive the history of the men and women of the mines , who have shaped their lives around mining, marking the rhythm of their days and lives, contributing to the evolution of humanity and the construction of a common European identity. It is, in fact, about valorizing the cultural legacy of the millennia-old European and Mediterranean mining epic, which in some areas originated as early as the Early Neolithic, marking and giving name to the key stages of civilization, from the Stone Age to the most recent Industrial Revolution.
The key words underlying the objectives and the entire activity of the itinerary are therefore:
- Cooperation between partners.
- Enhancement of European memory , history and heritage linked to mining life.
- Cultural and educational exchanges for young Europeans to pass on the knowledge, history, and traditions linked to the great mining epic.
- Contemporary cultural and artistic practice through the creation of shared events linked to music and art, thus giving new life to the most significant sites of mining archaeology.
- Tourism and sustainable cultural development , promoting soft mobility through the improvement of pedestrian and cycle paths and itineraries along ancient mining routes, immersed in a unique environmental landscape.
