Photographic publications of the Ostrava-Karviná mines in the Czech Republic

Abstract Photographic publications played a key role in promoting coal mining in the Ostrava-Karviná region (OKR) and across the entire Czechoslovakian industry. Throughout the 20th century, these publications reflected the wider socio-political, economic and cultural contexts and served both documentary, ideological and economic purposes. Early photographic works often depicted mining as a symbol of industrial progress, reinforcing regional identity and economic ambitions. Over time, photography in this area evolved from simple illustrative material to a systematically structured medium used especially during the socialist period for ideological messages. After 1989 the transition to a market economy led to a decline in state-controlled publications on mining. In their place, free photographic work often focused on documenting the post-industrial transformation of the region, depicting themes of environmental change, industrial decline and cultural memory. This was a significant shift, where visual narratives no longer served the propaganda, but critically engaged with the history, heritage and socio-economic impact of mining. The aim of thisarticlewas to present the basic outlines of the hitherto unprocessed topic and, above all, to map all photographic publications related to the Ostrava-Karviná district in the Czech Republic. The research methodology was based on analysis, comparison and description of sources – of photographic publications. The results of the researchwas a basic overview of the published titles in the industrial region under study, which contributes to the understanding of contemporary thinking on the promotion of industry, and is nowadays an important reference to the industrial heritage in Central Europe.