ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Upper Silesian Coal Basin

The Upper Silesian Coal Basin is a place where lots of coal is found deep in the earth. Coal is a kind of rock that we can burn to make electricity, heat our homes, and power machines. There is a special area in Poland where this coal is found, called the Upper Silesian Coal Basin. This area has been used for coal mining for a really long time, because it has so much coal in it.

But getting the coal out of the ground isn't easy. Picture a big plate of spaghetti that's all tangled up. That's what the coal looks like when it's deep under the ground. To get it out, people use special machines that dig tunnels, or galleries, to reach the coal. These tunnels are very long and can be very dangerous to work in underground.

Once the coal is dug up, it is cleaned and sorted. This means that people make sure that only the good clean coal is used, and they get rid of any dirt or rocks that come with it. The clean coal is then loaded onto trains or trucks and taken to power plants or factories where it will be used.

Mining coal from the Upper Silesian Coal Basin has helped create jobs and power the modern world. But it's also important to remember that burning coal can cause pollution and harm the environment. So it's important to balance the benefits and the risks of using coal.