Using a river as a source of energy contributed to the development of iron metallurgy in the period from the late Middle Ages to the end of the 19th century. The same iron oar beds were often exploited at this time as were earlier of interest to the ancient metallurgists. Cistercians who came to Wąchock in 1179 had an enormous influence on promoting technical novelties. In the second half of the 15th century the Cistercians from Wąchock rented a blacksmith's shop equipped with two water wheels to a wealthy Starzechowie family, who gave name to the town of Starachowice. Iron metallurgy developed rapidly after the construction of a huge furnace in the year 1789 initiated by Aleksander Rupkiewicz, the prior of the Cistercians in Wąchock. In 1818 iron factories in Starachowice came under the state management. Owing to the initiative of Stanisław Staszic a construction plan" to build iron works on the Kamienna river" was prepared. The plan created in the years 1833-1835 decided about the significance of Starachowice in the mining and metallurgy industries of the Old Polish Industrial District.
In the years 1836 - 1841 next to the 'Hercules' iron ore mine, on a natural terraced slope a blast furnace complex was built with three blast charcoal furnaces. On the top terrace of the complex the iron ore was stored, on the second one furnaces used for ore roasting while on the last terrace charcoal was prepared. The whole complex was closed with the blast furnaces and the casting bay. The present historical scenery of the museum comprises the remnants of the classicistic buildings:
draining bay of crude iron dedicated for the exhibition purposes, engine room situated over the channel and fragments of the water power system with the underground vaulted channel of the length reaching 240m.
The new technology in the process of iron production including the change in the blast furnace fuel from charcoal to coke is the genesis of starting a new blast furnace in 1899. The railway built in 1885 offered a possibility of development to the iron metallurgy based on coke fuel. A preserved complete technological line comprises a 8 ha area surrounded by a network of railways, charge materials storage as well as a stone trestle bridge fitted into surroundings serving as a place of unloading iron ore and limestone. The trucks loaded with charge materials such as limestone, coke and iron ore were moved to the vertical lift which lifted them to the height of 22 meters. There the blast furnace was charged and the obtained crude iron cooled in the casting bay in moulds forming 'billets' of iron. For many years the crude iron was smelted in this way but finally on 18th March 1968 a very important chapter in the history of the works in Starachowice and the town itself was closed. The blast furnace and other technical equipment: lift tower, air heaters, blast furnace gas dust collectors, the boiler room as well as the steam engine worth particular attention as it was the exhibit during the World's General Exhibition in Paris in 1889. They all created the picture of the metallurgical production line.
The museum houses a permanent exhibition entitled 'Technical culture heritage of the Kamienna river basin'. The part devoted to the 19th century iron works in Starachowice, which inherited the mining and metallurgy tradition, is of great significance. The works development in the 19th century was a follow-up of the investment plan implementation conducted by the Polish Bank and of the establishment of the joint stock company under the name "The Starachowice Association of Mining Works". Construction of arms factory in the Starachowice area during the interwar period was based on the idea of self-sufficiency. Iron ore from the local mines was used, the crude iron from the blast furnace was processed in a steel making shop and in a rolling mill and thus ready products were made: cannons, guns, howitzers and various kinds of ammunition. Among the exhibits of the museum there are 40 mm bullets for anti-aircraft guns produced in the Starachowice works in cooperation with the Bofors company from Sweden.
Rebuilding of the country from the war destruction created a great demand for truck production. The prototype of the first Polish truck of medium load capacity produced in the Starachowice works was assigned a symbol "Star 20". In the year 1948 a serial production of this truck was initiated. In the following years other models of the truck were introduced: Star C 60 truck-tractor, Star W 14 dump truck, Star HP 3 truck mounted crane and Star 20 GM 8/N71 for fire brigades. The Star 66 truck model with six-wheel drive constructed in the 50s of the 20th century originated the production of cross-country vehicles. Among the next produced types there were Star 660 and Star 266 which constituted equipment of the Polish Army. It was the Star 200 model which became the symbol of the trucks from Starachowice in the 70s as the Star make was well-known not only in Poland, but also abroad. The exhibits collected in the museum include such truck models as Star 20, Star 21, Star 25 and some exceptional vehicles such as Star 266 which in 1988 took part in the 10th Paris-Dakar cross-country rally.
Historic areas of industrial architecture have been presently changed into exhibition halls. In the building of the former boiler-room a collection of inanimate nature (paleoichnology) is exhibited. A vast collection of fossils from the Holy Cross Mountains area (almost 5 thousand exhibits) creates a picture of the nature of the Mesozoic era from 245-65 mln years ago. The feet of prehistoric animals impressed in the rocks constitute a treasury of knowledge concerning their lives: eating habits, way of moving and size.
Fossiled traces from the lower Triassic period are a unique proof in the world's scale of the variety in the fauna of the land vertebrates. Identified traces of the mammal-shaped reptiles - terapsides are the oldest known forms in the world. They were left by reptiles which most probably were warm-blooded animals covered with fur. Their teeth were similar to the contemporary predatory mammals. Traces of crocodile -like primate reptiles - tecodonts were left by one of the largest land animals of the early Triassic period reaching the size to 5 meters and weight of about 250 kg. There is also a great collection of traces of shield-headed amphibian - Capitosauroides and lizard-shaped reptiles from the ichno type of Rhynchosauroides, Isochiroterium and Brachichiroterium.
The Jurassic world of animals is presented in the fossils with impressed footprints of one of the largest predatory dinosaurs from the Keyentapus ichno type. Its strong hind legs allowed it to move with surprising speed and its sharp claws of the front legs enabled attacking the prey. The trails of this dinosaur come from the research area in Sołtyków where the traces of predatory dilophosauruses hunting a herd of full-grown and young sauropods. The collection of the museum also presents the footprints/traces of sauropods: Stegosaurus from the sediment from Upper Jurassic and Kentrosaurus, a dinosaur equipped with bone spikes along its back and a long tail.
The programme of the Ecomuseum is based on the natural and geological variety of the Świętokrzyskie area as well as on culture and civilisation shaping role of the Kamienna river. Exhibitions present the cultural heritage and contribute to the increase of the social sensitivity to the problems of monument and inanimate nature protection. They are also included in the educational programme of "Iron Roots" in the same way as the designed Archeopark complements versified didactic routes of the museum. By following them we have a chance to follow the history of iron metallurgy from ancient times with slag-pit furnaces to the blast furnace of modern times.
Therefore already today we would like to invite you to visit the museum in Starachowice and the "Iron Roots" archaeological picnic.
