Viewfinder: Coal Miners Gather in Poland

Pacific Standard Staff
December 5, 2018
Coal miners from Poland’s Pniowek coal mine carry a painting of Saint Barbara on Barbórka, their annual day of tribute to Barbara, from the mine to their local church on December 4th, 2018, in Pawlowice, near Wodzislaw Slaski, Poland.
Coal miners from Poland's Pniowek coal mine carry a painting of Saint Barbara on Barbórka, their annual day of tribute to Barbara, from the mine to their local church on December 4th, 2018, in Pawlowice, near Wodzislaw Slaski, Poland. Barbara is the patron saint of coal miners, and every December 4th, miners across Poland celebrate her with a march, a religious mass, and a festive gathering. Coal provides about 80 percent of Poland's electricity. The mines, many of them in the region of Silesia in southern Poland, employ tens of thousands of workers. Meanwhile, the United Nations' COP 24 climate conference is taking place in nearby Katowice.

Viewfinder is Pacific Standard’s daily photo feature, showcasing one image from the news.

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