At the 31st Conference on Cultural Heritage and New Technologies (CHNT31), taking place in November 2026 at Schönbrunn Palace (Apothecaries’ Wing) in Vienna, a dedicated Round Table will focus on mining heritage and its challenges under real-world conditions.

Proposed by the Althandel Civic Association (Slovakia), the Round Table “Mining Heritage in Action: A Round Table on Archaeology, Digital Documentation and Adaptive Reuse” aims to connect researchers, heritage professionals and practitioners working with complex and often hard-to-access sites.

Mining heritage represents a field where archaeology, technology and landscape intersect. Former and active mining sites are typically characterised by underground spaces, limited accessibility, structural instability and challenging environmental conditions. These factors significantly affect both archaeological research and digital documentation methods such as photogrammetry, laser scanning and 3D modelling.

The Round Table will address key topics including documentation and digitisation of underground environments, conservation and management of mining heritage, and the legal and technical requirements for making historic mines accessible to the public.

Further discussion will focus on adaptive reuse, including tourism, education and new functions such as energy or climate-related applications. The role of 3D, VR and XR technologies in presenting inaccessible underground spaces will also be explored.

The session is designed as a combination of short impulse contributions and moderated discussion, encouraging exchange across disciplines and regions.

Researchers and practitioners interested in contributing are warmly invited to join the Round Table and share their experience.