The Mikołajowice region was one of the main mining centers in Lower Silesia during the Middle Ages. The discovered gold deposits in the vicinity enabled the transformation of the village into a small town. Only the strong opposition of the townspeople from nearby Legnica prevented the emergence of stronger competition for the capital of the duchy. However, after only a few decades, the decline of this ‘Lower Silesian Klondike’ occurred. Why did this happen? The gold deposits in this region were easily accessible; however, despite a significant content of valuable metal in the rock, they were not very extensive.
The deposits from the Mikołajowice, Legnickie Pole, and Wądroże Wielkie region represent two genetic types. The primary deposit consists of veins of gold-bearing quartz. In smaller quantities, gold is also present as a primary component in pyrite (iron sulfide) in the gneisses of Wądroże Wielkie and as microscopic inclusions in metamorphic schists. The deposit formed through the erosion of gold-bearing quartz veins has a secondary, alluvial character. It is composed of sands and gravels covering the older substrate made of hard rocks.
Gold in the vicinity of Mikołajowice originated primarily as a component of quartz veins formed by hot solutions from the depths of the Earth. During the time when mountains first began to form in this area, rocks were compressed and stretched, causing them to fracture. Deep fissures formed in them, through which hot, mineral-laden water began to migrate towards the surface. W tych warunkach woda szybko stygła i zmniejszało się jej ciśnienie, dlatego też traciła rozpuszczone w niej substancje.
Milky white quartz crystals filled the voids, and between them, other components such as metal sulfides and gold appeared. That’s why even now, small amounts of the yellow metal can be found in the white quartz blocks, scattered in the fields between Legnickie Pole, Mikołajowice, and Wądroże Wielkie. Rocks exposed on the Earth’s surface underwent gradual destruction due to atmospheric factors. The material fragmented during weathering underwent sorting. Heavier components, with gold being the heaviest, accumulated in lower areas. Water played a crucial role in this process, significantly accelerating the separation of weathered material into fractions. Miners at that time also relied on water, obtaining the main part of their yield through the process of washing sand and gravel that accumulated on weathered rocks beneath the substrate.
In agricultural fields, it is currently difficult to discern traces of former mines. However, in areas excluded from cultivation—overgrown with shrubs or covered by low trees, where the surface has not been leveled by long-term plowing—even an untrained eye can notice unnatural irregularities. These are remnants of small, vertical shafts used to access the most gold-rich layers of sediment. Subsequently, the extracted material was either washed on-site or transported to a nearby stream for further processing. In the times before widespread drainage, there were many more watercourses here; now, only a few remain. Only Wierzbiak, flowing south of Mikołajowice, still serves as a source of water for contemporary gold prospectors.
Currently, gold can be found in the blocks of white quartz located in the local fields. However, to obtain a visible speck of gold with the naked eye, one often needs to break apart even more than 100 quartz blocks. It is easier to come across tiny grains when washing sediment from old mine dumps or from layers exposed during construction work. Even in this case, one cannot expect quick enrichment! The deposits were significantly exploited already in the medieval period. Subsequent attempts at larger-scale exploitation did not yield significant results. Larger accumulations of gold ore may be located several metres beneath the surface, where miners and prospectors, from the medieval period to the 20th century, were hindered by the challenging control of groundwater inflow. Therefore, we can be sure that the local gold still awaits its discoverers…
