Meet Dolores, a giant SRs 1800 bucket-wheel excavator, 38 meters high, 118 meters long, and weighing over 2,500 tons. It is currently out of service and on display in a public space in the village of Wielkopole in the municipality of Kleczew, where it serves as a local tourist attraction.

Machine was manufactured in 1985 by the German company Takraf for the Spanish As Pontes mine, from which it was eventually purchased—along with a sister excavator named “Carmen”—by the Konin Coal Mine. Transporting them to Poland in 2008–2009 required approximately 400 trucks, and their largest components were shipped to Poland on four vessels.

After two years of assembly and upgrades (the entire staff quarters, electrical systems, and automation were replaced), they were put into service in 2010–2011. At the time, Carmen and Dolores were the first and only excavators of this size in Poland. In the future, Dolores is set to be the main attraction of a mining machinery park that will showcase the industrial heritage of the Konin Basin.
Recorded with Teche 3D VR180 and Insta360 Evo.
Music by Sascha Ende (ende.app)