JÁCHYMOV – gateway to the Ore Mountains

The spa of Jáchymov is considered the first spa in the world where radon water began to be systematically used for medical treatment. The origin of this unique spa facility was the result of the connection between mining, scientific research and medical practice at the beginning of the twentieth century. It was in Jáchymov that radioactive water from a deep mine was first used to treat patients, creating an entirely new field of spa medicine.

The spa complex of Jáchymov consists of a number of spa houses, sanatoria, villas and hotels that were gradually built from the beginning of the twentieth century onwards. Some of them still serve the spa industry today, while others were later rebuilt or transferred into private ownership. The following overview lists spa buildings regardless of whether they are still used for spa treatment today.

The spa town of Jáchymov is famous for its unique radon water that originates deep within the geological structures of the Ore Mountains massif. Its therapeutic effects are connected with the presence of radon – a radioactive gas produced during the decay of radium and uranium in surrounding rocks. Water that is tens of thousands of years old is still pumped today from the depths of the Svornost mine and forms the basis of spa treatment in Jáchymov.

The Jáchymov spa belongs among the most unique spa facilities in the world. It is in fact the only spa in the world that operates its own deep mine and employs miners alongside its spa personnel. The origin of the local spa treatment is closely connected with ore mining in the Jáchymov district and with the discovery of radioactive springs in the Svornost and Werner (Rovnost) mines.