The Gumyoshevsky mine (), also called Gumeshki, Gumeshevsky or Gumishevskoye mine is a

copper mine Copper extraction is the multi-stage process of obtaining copper from its ores. The conversion of copper ores consists of a series of physical, chemical, and electrochemical processes. Methods have evolved and vary with country depending on the ...

located in the town of

Polevskoy Polevskoy () is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, 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 kn ...

, in

Sverdlovsk Oblast Sverdlovsk Oblast ( rus, Свердловская область, Sverdlovskaya oblastʹ, p=svʲɪrdˈlofskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ) is a federal subject (an oblast) of Russia located in the Ural Federal District. Its administrative center is the c ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

. 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 ( ),; , ; , or simply the Urals, are a mountain range in Eurasia that runs north–south mostly through Russia, from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the river Ural (river), Ural and northwestern Kazakhstan.

Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary The ''Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopaedic Dictionary'' (35 volumes, small; 86 volumes, large) is a comprehensive multi-volume encyclopaedia in Russian. It contains 121,240 articles, 7,800 images, and 235 maps. It was published in the Russian Em ...

from its early history at the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

. It was in use from the mid-

2nd millennium BC File:2nd millennium BC montage.jpg, 400x400px, From top left clockwise: Hammurabi, Babylonian king, best known for his Code of Hammurabi, code of laws; The gold Mask of Tutankhamun, funerary mask of Tutankhamun has become a symbol of ancient Egypt ...

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 mineral, carbonate hydroxide mineral, with the chemical formula, formula Basic copper carbonate, Cu2CO3(OH)2. This opaque, green-banded mineral crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system, and most often for ...

. 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 is a palace in Saint Petersburg that served as the official residence of the House of Romanov, previous emperors, from 1732 to 1917. The palace and its precincts now house the Hermitage Museum. The floor area is 233,345 square ...

Saint Michael's Castle Saint Michael's Castle (, ''Mikhailovsky zamok''), also called the Mikhailovsky Castle or the Engineers' Castle (, ''Inzhenerny zamok''), is a former royal residence in the historic centre of Saint Petersburg, Russia. Saint Michael's Castle wa ...

,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 Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

, the

Saint Isaac's Cathedral Saint Isaac's Cathedral () is a large architectural landmark cathedral that currently functions as a museum with occasional church services in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is dedicated to Saint Isaac of Dalmatia, a patron saint of Peter the Gre ...

. 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 () 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 museums in Germany alongside Naturm ...

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

Polevskoy Copper Smelting Plant The Polevskoy Copper Smelting Plant (), also known as Polevaya or Poleva, was one of the major metallurgical facilities located in Polevskoy, in Sverdlovsk Oblast of Russia. History It was established by the decree of Peter the Great to process t ...

(1724–1870).

References

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