The Globe and Phoenix is the reason Kwekwe exists. Two adjacent claims — the Globe and the Phoenix — were pegged in the 1890s and consolidated into a single operation that became, briefly, the richest gold mine on earth by ore grade. The mine ran continuously for more than a century before falling silent in the 2000s; small-scale informal mining still nibbles at the surrounding ground.
On the old mine grounds is a mining museum that preserves the Paper House — a remarkable little dwelling built of timber and reinforced cardboard on stilts, used as the first mine manager's residence — along with old machinery, photographs, and assay records. Access depends on who is in charge of the property; ask at the Kwekwe Sports Club or any local hotel for current contact details.