The second half of the 19th century in the Russian Empire was the time of intensive growth of capitalism accompanied by the industrial growth. At the same time, the diversification of industry persisted for a long time: Large machine industry coexisted with manufacturing and small-scale (handicraft) production. During the reign of Emperor Alexander III, there was a strengthening of the position of heavy industry, an increasingly widespread use of hired labor and an increase in production and capital. Capitalism established itself as the dominant mode of production. Russia was characterized by strong government interference in the industrial sphere via government lending, government orders, financial and customs policy. This laid the foundation for the formation of the system of state capitalism. The Russian government paid a great deal of attention to the extractive industries. After the accession of the Kingdom (or in Russian terms "Tsardom" - auth.) of Poland to Russia, the rich natural resources of the territory entered the empire. For the effective use of natural resources, it was necessary to study foreign expertise and develop an appropriate training system. This article is devoted to the study of mining industry and education in the Kingdom of Poland in the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries. The features of using an industrially important coal formation are considered. Close attention is paid to the history of the foundation and functioning of the Dombrova (nowadays: Dabrowa-Gornicza, Poland) Mining School. The administrative structure of this educational institution, the admission of students and their training are described. The article also connects the development of vocational education with general government policy in the Vistula region and the position of officials and employees in educational institutions. The main historical sources for this article were archival documents from the Russian State Historical Archives (RGIA). In addition, the memoirs of domestic mining engineers whose professional activities were associated with the Kingdom of Poland were studied.