GOLDEN WORLD

 

Gold is the first metal to have been worked by man. Gold has always been accepted as the symbol of power, wealth and even deity. Is it any wonder that the phrase "He who has gold, makes the rules" has stood the test of time. Gold is mentioned in the documents of the oldest civilisations. One of the world's earliest maps was made to show the location of gold mines in ancient Egypt. Old Greek legends tell about the Golden fleece which, as a matter of fact, was a piece of gold washing equipment. Even the story of the Creation in the Bible mentions a river in the Paradise where gold was found.

 
Indians panned for gold in South America well before the days of Columbus.


 

Golden World, the story of gold and man

 

Completion of the Golden World building at Tankavaara brings together gold panning traditions from around the globe. The Golden World is a permanent exhibition with maps, photographs and numerous gold mining exhibits showing a secret world. A world to which, until now, only gold panners have been privy.

 

Golden World is unique! It has been brought together with the help of more than twenty countries. Golden World presents the circumstances and events, which caused people to be obsessed with the yellow metal. The dream of gold encouraged men to pack their gold pans and shovels and to set off for adventures in the unknown. Gold has brought about happiness and sorrow, riches and poverty, and generated a disease known worldwide as gold fever!

 

Golden World Displays

 

Golden World includes more than twenty displays from different countries, each of them representing an important piece of gold history. The exhibition building is "the biggest gold pan in the world". It is 35 meters in diameter and covers an area of 1000 square meters.

 

Auraria is the outdoor section of Golden World featuring replicas of typical buildings from the world's great gold rushes.

 

Golden World is not limited to Europe only but is also a window to the whole world. It perfectly serves its purpose as an illustrator of one of the most interesting phenomena in the world: Gold Fever.

 

 

In 1771, by accident, some children found a bronze pot near Podmokly, Czech Republic, which contained 45,2 kilograms of Celtic gold coins and bracelets. The treasure had been buried around 65 to 55 BC and was probably a sacrifice to the gods. Photo: Matti Laine.

 

 

 

 

The process of hydraulic mining involved the use of high pressure water cannons, called "monitors" to wash away the sides of mountains into large sluice boxes. The environmental consequences were devastating. The soil, washed into streams and rivers blocked canyons and caused flooding. Neighbouring farmland was often blanketed with mine waste. Although hydraulic mining was banned in 1880 in California, many scars can still be seen today. Photo: California Department of Parks and Recreation.

 

 

In Indonesia about 80.000 local people, relying on wooden pans and sluices, recover gold in areas, which are not profitable enough for big mining companies. Photo: Mineral Technology Research and Development Centre, Bandung.