An educational path to rediscover the history, the tools and the techniques for mining fluorite in the Prestavèl mine (Trento Province, Italy)

The Stava 1985 Foundation (a Registered Charity) is committed to keeping alive the “active memory” of the Stava Valley catastrophe, which was one of the worst mining disasters in the world. On 19th July 1985, 268 men, women and children were killed by a huge mudflow caused by the collapse of two tailings dams storing the waste of the fluorite concentration process at the Prestavèl mine plant located in the territory of the Tesero Municipality, on the southern slopes of Mt. Prestavèl in the Stava Valley, a side valley of the Fiemme Valley in Trentino, northern Italy. The memory of this tragic event aims to avoid such disasters happening again, so that these innocent victims did not die in vain. The goal of “active memory” is to improve the culture of safety, safeguard of the environment and correct and sustainable use of natural resources, which was lacking in Stava. Only this awareness and sense of personal accountability can avoid the repetition of similar, foreseeable and avoidable disasters. In order to maintain this active memory, proper information must be provided on the origin and causes of the Stava Valley disaster and the responsibilities involved. The Stava 1985 Foundation, which has made available a great deal of information and carried out several educational projects, aims now to investigate in depth the history, tools and mining techniques at the Prestavèl mine. Access to this knowledge will be made more available thanks to the implementation of an educational path inside the mine tunnels after they have been made safe and accessible to the public.