SYSTEM OF THE JÁCHYMOV URANIUM CAMPS OUTSIDE JÁCHYMOV
After 1948 uranium mining became a strategic state priority. Jáchymov functioned as the organisational centre with the first camps, registration facilities and the command of the Prison Guard Corps. As the demand for labour increased, mining operations expanded to additional deposits, particularly in Horní Slavkov and later in the Příbram region. These were not independent projects but extensions of the same centrally managed structure.
Horní Slavkov became the second major uranium mining centre. Several labour camps were established near individual shafts and facilities. The regime mirrored that of Jáchymov – double barbed-wire fences, shooting zones, watchtowers, roll-call grounds and punishment cells. Prisoners were deployed in underground mining, ore sorting, construction work and infrastructure projects. Transfers between Jáchymov and Horní Slavkov were common and reflected operational needs.
In the Příbram region another extensive camp complex developed, closely connected to the uranium mines of Bytíz, Vojna and other sites. The same organisational model applied – registration, redistribution according to labour demand, strict guarding and harsh disciplinary measures. Prisoners were transferred between regions both for work allocation and as a form of punishment.
Across all regions, labour was carried out without adequate protection against radioactive exposure and dust. Prisoners endured long-term contact with uranium ore, often without basic hygiene. Insufficient food, harsh climate and physically exhausting work led to severe health consequences. The system relied on administrative control, physical punishment and psychological intimidation.
All camps were integrated into a unified logistical and command structure. Uranium ore was collected, processed and transported under armed supervision. The entire network functioned as a centrally directed mechanism, with individual regions representing geographical branches of the same repressive system.
Even camps outside Jáchymov are symbolically included in the camp Way of the Cross. The memory of the prisoners’ suffering therefore extends beyond a single locality and reflects the broader structure of forced uranium labour in post-war Czechoslovakia.
