Opening of the exhibition “Copper. A history of the extraordinary metal”

The exhibition titled “Copper. A history of the extraordinary metal” was opened in the Copper Museum in Legnica, Poland, on October 23, 2018 and is one of the milestones of the VirtualMine project.

The exhibition presents the phenomenon of the use of copper throughout history. For millennia, this metal has been synonymous with modernity, new technologies, but also a fully recyclable raw material.

The exhibition presents the properties of copper, introduces issues related to its use by man, technology of its production and the areas in which this metal is irreplaceable. Today, in a world filled with electronics, it is much more visible than centuries ago. Surprisingly, we are still finding new uses for the raw material known to man for over 10,000 years.

The exhibition features a rich collection of the Copper Museum in Legnica. They include minerals, archaeological monuments, numismatics, a collection of artistic handicrafts, sculptures and copperplate engravings. All these monuments are made of copper, its alloys or compounds of this metal, proving the great civilization importance of this metal. You can enrich your knowledge of the exhibition through the application presented on the tablet, as well as by browsing through the pages of the publication of the Museum of Copper, made available in a specially arranged part of the exhibition room.

The traditional museum exhibition is accompanied by multimedia applications and modern ways of presenting knowledge – a 3D hologram presenting a miner in full equipment for underground working, a multimedia game “Life without raw materials” and HTC Vive Goggles transferring to virtual reality - a walk through mining excavations over centuries.

The exhibition, and more specifically multimedia and all accompanying events, will be available to people of all ages during the museum's visiting hours. Especially the multimedia part of the exhibition has been prepared for children and young people who are the main beneficiaries of the VirtualMine project. It is to attract young people and introduce them to issues related to the properties of copper, its use by man, technology of its production and the areas in which this metal is irreplaceable.

Through the form, scope and content of the exhibition, we wanted to emphasize the importance of copper and, more generally, raw materials in human life, but also to indicate new opportunities for educating young people in the field of mining. These new possibilities are a diverse educational program here in Legnica - in the regional dimension, but also - more widely - thanks to new technologies and a wide dissemination of results as well as the involvement of partners - project results are and will be visible in other European regions, among others in Spain, Greece, Slovakia and Slovenia. The entirety of activities, products and events related to the VirtualMine project creates an informal educational network about raw materials, which we intend to actively develop within this and other future projects - says Malwina Kobylańska, VirtualMine Project Coordinator - We hope that the results of our activities in the long-term will increase the knowledge and awareness on the practical aspects of mining. We would also like them to translate into the creation of future core curriculum for general education in Poland and other European countries - she adds.

Detailed information about the exhibition and its opening can be found at:

http://muzeum-miedzi.art.pl/wystawy-czasowe/485-miedz-dzieje-niezwyklego-metalu

http://muzeum-miedzi.art.pl/aktualnosci/484-otwarcie-wystawy-miedz-dzieje-niezwyklego-metalu