Matrosov Mine

Matrosov Mine was created in 1945, one year after the Natalka deposit was discovered. In the first year of mine’s operation one vertical shaft and a leaching plant were built which yielded some 1.3 tons of gold. Originally ore was extracted from the top of the mound and trucked to the plant. In 1949 a 4 km cable railway was built. Some 150 carts brought 1350 tons of ore to the plant every day. This increased the mine’s production capacity fourfold and helped win numerous all-union labor contests.

In 1956 the first komsomol team of 128 young specialists arrived at the mine and opened a new page in its history. Two new settlements were built to accommodate the newcomers. In 1957 roller-bit drilling rigs were introduced, and in 1958 main production galleries were constructed. In 1959 a fist two-story house was built on the mine, to promote culture among miners a community center was built in 1963. In 1969 construction of a new ore processing plant was launched that ended in 1973 coinciding with the first TV broadcast on the mine.

The next major turn in the history of Matrosov Mine happened in 2004 when it joined Polyus Group. This resulted in large scale exploration works and a drastic reappraisal of Natalka reserves.