Rudňany belongs to the area of Spiš - Gemer ore bearing range, which has been known since ancient times as an area of mining and processing of ores, but also non-ores. At the end of the 18th century and in the first half of the 19th century, the mining of copper and silver ores was in full bloom in Koterbachy (now Rudňany), which was joined by the extraction of mercury. The year 1874, after the construction of Košice-Bohumín railway, was a turning point in the composition of mining and quarrying, when mining was concentrated on iron ores that were delivered to Vítkovice. After World War II., mines in Rudňany became the largest iron ore plant in Czechoslovakia. From the mined ore, the following were mainly obtained: iron, copper, mercury and baryte. Baryte is needed for building atomic power plants, plastering X-ray rooms, producing paints, varnishes, floor coverings, various ballasts for ships, etc. Since 1874, almost 400 million tons of ore have been extracted from the mine. After 1989, there was a drastic decline, even to the liquidation of the mines in Rudňany.
