It is widely known in Poland as the place of the massacre of striking miners in 1981 (most often referred to by the euphemism 'Pacification'), as well as being the site of a deadly mining accident in 2009.
Mining operations began in the vicinity as early as the 16th century.
The peak Polish production was in 1979 (3.88 million tons that year).
On 1 April 2017, the Wujek mine was taken over by Polska Grupa Górnicza (pl), and in 2021, it was connected to the Murcki-Staszic Coal Mine (pl:Kopalnia Węgla Kamiennego „Murcki-Staszic”) via an underground passageway.
Since then, both formerly independent mines are now operated as a single entity called Staszic-Wujek Coal Mine (pl:Kopalnia Węgla Kamiennego „Staszic-Wujek”).