| Official Name: | Senjski Rudnik |
| Native Name: | Сењски Рудник |
| Settlement Type: | Village |
| Pushpin Map: | Serbia |
| Pushpin Label Position: | bottom |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  Serbia |
| Subdivision Type1: | District |
| Subdivision Type2: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name2: | Despotovac |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 18.76 |
| Population As Of: | 2011 |
| Population Total: | 438 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone: | CET |
| Utc Offset: | +1 |
| Timezone Dst: | CEST |
| Utc Offset Dst: | +2 |
| Coordinates: | 43.9961°N 21.5692°W |
| Elevation M: | 666 |
Senjski Rudnik (Serbian: Сењски Рудник) is a village located in the municipality of Despotovac, eastern Serbia. According to the 2011 census, it had a population of 438 inhabitants. It is the site of the oldest preserved coal mine in Serbia, established in 1853.[2] The mine marks the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution in Serbia.
The coal mine was opened on 11 July 1853 and was operational for almost 120 years. On 13 July 1903, the first mining trade union organization in Serbia was founded in Senjski Rudnik, and already on 6 August they organized the general strike which ended after 9 days with the management accepting to raise wages and to improve working conditions. In 1955, the 6 August was declared a national miners' day.[3]
On 21 July 1893, Saint Procopius Day, protector of the miners, there was an accident in the mine. A forest fire spread to the shaft, killing the entire shift of miners. Their bodies were never recovered.
In 1923, the football club "Rudar" was founded. The cultural center Sokol House was established, which also operated as a cinema from 1934. After World War II, composer, future founder of the popular music in Yugoslavia, was sent to the center to organize the cultural and artistic life in the small town, which together with the neighboring Senje, after which it was named, had some 3,000 inhabitants. Kraljić's piano is exhibited in the local museum.[3]
The village had an elementary school. Young engineers were having their practical education in the settlement and participated in economic life, so it was recorded that between 1955 and 1968, the only two major industrial branches which were not represented in Senjski Rudnik were aircraft industry and shipbuilding. There was a large hospital in the settlement, one of the best equipped in the state. Famous military surgeon Izidor Papo performed surgeries in it. However, the mine was soon closed.[3]
In 1978, film Petria's Wreath, directed by Srđan Karanović and starring Mirjana Karanović, was filmed in Senjski Rudnik. The house where it was filmed is today known as the Petrija's House. It was renovated in 2023.[3]
Coal mining museum was initially formed in 1980. As of 2010, there is an ongoing project, sponsored by the Council of Europe and the Ministry of Culture of Serbia, of restoration of preservation of the mine complex, which will turn the entire site into an open-air museum and historical heritage site.
By February 2018, the display included 1,000 exhibits and 5,000 photos and is organized as the Coal Mining Museum (Serbian: Музеј угљарства|Muzej ugljarstva). The industrial heritage complex includes:[4] [5]
Future additions include the underground museum and restoration of the miners' restaurant which will be used by the tourists. The underground section of the museum is a 530m (1,740feet) long abandoned mineshaft. Project is based on the similar facilities in Velenje, Slovenia and Bochum, Germany. The exhibition will be interactive and the visitors would leave the shaft via original mining elevator.[5]
In the close vicinity of the museum are the monasteries of Ravanica and Manasija, the Resava Cave and the Lisine waterfall.[5]