PERIOD 1551–1690
1551 – In Jáchymov, the so-called mihdla (mechanisms converting circular motion into reciprocating motion) are invented. At the St George mine, a multi-stage piston pump driven by this mechanism is constructed.
1552 – An earthquake strikes Jáchymov. The Municipal Pond – Stadtteich (Jezírko) – is established. An abundant grape harvest leads the nobility to requisition brewery barrels for wine storage. 1,885 miners work in 419 mines.
1554 – Visit of the Bohemian viceroy Archduke Ferdinand of Tyrol. On 24 June (Feast of St John the Baptist), one metre of snow falls.
1555 – Mathesius uses the term Wolforma wolfshaar (wolf’s hair), evidence of knowledge of tungsten. Officially, the metal was discovered in 1781 by Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele. 1,777 miners work in 395 mines.
1556 – The first Jesuits arrive in Jáchymov. The oldest known surviving mining map dates from this year. A congress of mine owners from the Kingdom of Bohemia is held in the town.
1557 – King Ferdinand I grants Jáchymov a new Municipal Code. 1,543 miners work in 343 mines.
1562 – Barbara Uttmann introduces lace-making to the town, teaching primarily miners’ wives who otherwise had little employment opportunity. Fifty-one foreign mine owners leave Jáchymov due to declining yields and disputes with the Crown and local authorities.
1564 – Maximilian’s Forest Code is issued in Jáchymov. Mathesius’ Mining Postil and the Jáchymov Chronicle are printed in Nuremberg.
1567 – By decision of the ruler, the regional governor of Loket, Albrecht of Globen, grants Horní Žďár to Jáchymov as a fief. 1,219 miners work in 271 mines.
1568 – A plague epidemic kills more than 900 people.
1570 – A year of important visits: Elector Augustus of Saxony with his wife, Margrave Hans of Küstrin, Prince Joachim Ernest of Anhalt and Duke Hans Albrecht of Mecklenburg visit the town.
1572 – Augustin Corda paints the galleries of the Church of St Joachim.
1574 – The population declines to 4,000. Only 294 houses are inhabited, mainly poorer miners’ dwellings having disappeared. 751 miners work in 167 mines.
1577 – In an effort to revive mining and the mint, Emperor Rudolf II orders the minting of the so-called Small Groschen.
1578 – At the Svornost mine, bucket pumps are replaced by piston pumps.
1582 – Duke Ernest, Archbishop of Cologne, visits secretly and descends into the Graf Friedrich Stollen mine but is recognised upon departure. In spring, plague claims 158 victims. On 13 July (Feast of St Margaret) another outbreak begins and lasts until Christmas, causing 303 deaths.
1584 – Albrecht of Globen becomes Chief Mining Captain. Pavel Hoffman is appointed mintmaster.
1587 – On 29 March and again on 7 June, approximately 45 cm of snow falls.
1589 – 935,040 Small Groschen are minted during the year.
1590 – 692,940 Small Groschen are minted. Cobalt mining begins. An earthquake is recorded.
1591 – The town’s public debt reaches 21,000 thalers and increases annually by 1,000 thalers.
1593 – The dam of the Stadtteich breaks but is repaired the same year.
1598 – The ruler forbids miners from leaving Jáchymov.
1516–1600 – During this period, 307 tonnes of pure silver are mined. Net mining profit totals 4,700,000 thalers.
1603 – Only six mines remain in operation.
1609 – Bismuth mining and production of saflor, a blue pigment made from bismuth, begin.
1611 – The town has 2,177 inhabitants, including 100 miners.
1613 – Jáchymov is described as a “dead town,” with only 529 inhabitants remaining.
1619 – After 42 years, minting of the Small Groschen ends. Troops of Peter Ernst of Mansfeld pass through the town.
1621 – Revival of the town; 2,000 inhabitants live here.
1623 – On 19 August, the Jesuits close the Evangelical Church of St Joachim.
1624 – On 9 September, the church is reconsecrated in the Catholic rite, dedicated to St Joachim and St Anne.
1625 – The ruler prohibits violent recatholicisation in an attempt to calm Protestant Jáchymov.
1626 – Mandatory recatholicisation is ordered. Those unwilling to convert must leave Bohemia, abandoning their property.
1627 – As a “nest of Protestantism,” the Jesuits close the Latin School.
1631 – Despite prohibitions, the Jesuits forcibly recatholicise and are expelled by armed miners.
1633 – Albrecht von Wallenstein “visits” the town with 15,000 soldiers. On 23 December, Swedish troops under General Johan Banér occupy Jáchymov.
1634 – The Swedes demolish 20 houses; another 42 become uninhabitable.
1635 – Plague kills 800 inhabitants. Saxon and Croatian troops plunder the town.
1636 – Although only three Catholics remain, mandatory recatholicisation is enforced.
1640 – The town is burned by the Swedes. After 4,000 Swedish soldiers depart, only 144 of 388 houses remain habitable.
1642 – The Chapel of St Anne on the Brottmarkt burns down.
1650 – Non-Catholic officials are removed from office. Only nine Catholics live in the town.
1652 – The Jesuits return under protection of the imperial army. 854 citizens with families depart to nearby Protestant Saxony, where a new town – today’s Johanngeorgenstadt – is founded for them.
1654 – 271 residential houses stand in the town; 132 are abandoned and 70 completely destroyed by fire.
1665 – An arsenic smelter is established. Mining focuses mainly on cobalt; silver is found only minimally. 23 miners work in 10 mines.
1667 – Due to a complete lack of metal, the mint is transferred from Jáchymov to Prague by decision of the ruler.
1690 – Only 50 miners remain, mining exclusively cobalt. Operating mines include Helena Huber, Svornost, Zlatá růže, Svatý Duch and Krásná Marie at Suchá; the hereditary adits of St Barbara and St Daniel are maintained.
