Location and General Character
Eliáš Valley, known to old miners as Lower Niklasberg, begins at Cihelna and ends between the settlements of Zálesí and Vršek. The Eliáš Stream flows through the valley and was used to power numerous hydraulic structures supplying machinery and mining equipment.
Silver Mining in the Sixteenth Century
Shortly after the foundation of Jáchymov, miners encountered numerous ore veins here – Kravská, Eliáš, Dorota, Jan, Jiří, Fluder, Dušní, Červená, Jeroným and others. Among the most important adits were Georg, Elias and Fluder. Larger mines also operated here.
The most significant was the Eliáš shaft, one of the most important silver mines in the Jáchymov region.
The Antonín mine (St. Antoni Eisensteinzeche) was unique, as it extracted iron ore rather than silver. This was made possible by the presence of skarns within the surrounding schist formation. Magnetite ores are associated with these skarns, and hematite lenses reached sizes of 7 to 30 centimetres. The skarn layer here was 6 to 20 metres thick. This deposit forms part of a mineral belt that was mined at Měděnec until the end of the twentieth century.
Further mines operated on the slopes towards Jáchymov, the most important being the Rudolf shaft, later known as Werner or Rovnost.
Water as a Source of Power
Since the sixteenth century, the valley was transformed not only by mining but also by an extensive water management system. Water was the primary source of energy.
The western slope is bordered by the Fanggraben, a supply channel traceable as far as Boží Dar. The Heinzenteich reservoir was built to collect water, named after the inventor of Heinzen pumps.
From the reservoir, water was led through the Kunstgraben to the Water Adit. Its portal lay near the later Central Compressor Station. Although the portal has disappeared, the administrative building has survived.
Remains of channels, ditches and landscape cuts that captured every available drop of water are still visible.
The Uranium Era – A Radical Transformation
Although mining continued from the sixteenth century until the end of the Second World War, the uranium mining of the second half of the twentieth century brought a complete transformation. Eliáš Valley became one of the centres of uranium extraction.
Below the abandoned Antonín mine, the Eduard operation was established. The Eliáš shaft and Eva Apfelbaum were reopened. New mines were created – Adam, Jiřina shaft and Shaft 14. Several older adits were reopened, including Adit No. 5 and the originally silver-producing Jiří Adit.
Unlike the smaller waste heaps of the silver mines, massive uranium dumps covered the slopes. According to DIAMO estimates, approximately 1,467,600 cubic metres of material are deposited here over an area of 66,000 square metres.
Below Jiřina shaft, a large tailings pond from the Eliáš processing plant was created, containing about 1,800,000 tonnes of waste. In 1962 the sludge was removed and transported to the processing plant in Mydlovary. Because the pond blocked the stream, a bypass adit was driven to divert the water.
Preserved Historical Traces
The best-preserved part of the original valley lies below the Abertamy junction towards Eduard mine. Airborne laser scanning revealed regularly arranged systems of prospecting pits, small dumps and ditches corresponding to late medieval mining claims.
Present-Day Use
Today, a sports complex with a biathlon track occupies the large Eduard mine dump, and a ski slope lies nearby. The rest of the valley serves as a reminder of the past, including the Scout memorial mound.
The valley is easily accessible thanks to the road network from the uranium mining period and the educational trail Jáchymov Hell.
Since December 2018 the area has been protected as a cultural monument and in 2019 became part of the Jáchymov Mining Landscape inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Geology and Nature
Beyond its mining history, the valley offers geological and botanical interest. Besides common minerals, rare bismuth minerals such as namibite, eulytite and beyerite have been found here.
Nature enthusiasts may observe numerous protected plant species, including orchids such as dark-red helleborine, coralroot, broad-leaved marsh orchid, heath spotted orchid and lesser butterfly orchid.
