THE MINT
Introduction
In the area where the Mint and the Town Hall are today separated by Mint Street, the houses of Kunz Eirolt and Hieronymus Schlick originally stood. The Schlick family first purchased Eirolt’s house and built their mint on its site. The mint was probably structurally connected with the Schlick residence, as evidenced by bricked-up openings in the cellars that would today lead partially beneath the surface toward the town hall cellars.
History
The present building of the Mint dates from 1532–1536. It was founded by King Ferdinand I of Habsburg on the site of the original Schlick mint and stands behind the town hall. Due to several fires that originated in the mint operations and also damaged the new town hall, the town council together with the Supreme Mining Captain Christoph von Gendorf advocated the separation of the two buildings. This separation was implemented in 1533 by the creation of today’s Mint Street, dividing the Royal Mint from the Schlick palace purchased by the town in 1531 for the new town hall.
According to current knowledge, no entirely new structure was erected; rather, the original Schlick building was fundamentally rebuilt and adapted. The Mint is constructed in the Renaissance style and has survived without major structural alterations. A beautiful corner portal dated 1536 has been preserved, and the building reveals the influence of Saxon building workshops and the Rejt workshop. The structure is organised around a rectangular courtyard with a central hall.
Fires and Architectural Changes
The building suffered repeated fire damage. The first major fire broke out on 15 June 1538, destroying the wooden structures of the mint and eighteen surrounding houses. Possible causes included an overheated furnace, children secretly casting tin pellets, or even deliberate arson. Relations between the Schlick and royal officials were tense both in the mint and in the town.
Another devastating fire struck on 23 July 1782. Along with the mint, the town hall and forty houses burned down. As a consequence, not only were the smelting operations removed, but the appearance of the building also changed. The burned second storey, probably of timber-framed construction, was not rebuilt.
Coin Production and Significance
Thalers were struck in the mint until 1671. Thereafter, commemorative coins, such as coronation issues, were produced. From the Spanish designation of these coins – dolleros – developed the name of one of today’s most widespread currencies, the dollar.
The volume of coin production was considerable. Between 1520 and 1528, approximately 3,250,000 thalers and 22,000,000 Prague groschen were struck here, and this figure relates only to the Schlick period. From this era, a massive central chimney and a two-chamber blacksmith’s furnace have been preserved in the cellars.
Later Use
After minting ceased in 1671, the premises remained unused until 1716, when a Mining School was opened here.
In 1863 the Imperial and Royal Mining and Metallurgical Administration was housed in the former mint after the abolition of the Supreme Mining Office. Archives saved from previous fires were also stored here. Ten years later, the mint together with the archives burned again in a major fire that devastated almost the entire town. The building was nevertheless restored in its original layout.
After the establishment of Czechoslovakia, the Directorate of the Jáchymov Mines was located here. During the uranium mining era, the building was used by the Uranium Mines Jáchymov. In 1960 the town took over the structure and adapted it for the Municipal Museum, founded in 1923.
At the end of 1981, part of the ceiling structures collapsed due to wood-destroying fungi. The building was closed and awaited reconstruction, which took place between 1984 and 1997. However, museum operations resumed only on 28 May 2005 with the exhibition “Jáchymov in the Mirror of Time.”
Photogallery: http://mipalfi.rajce.idnes.cz/Mincovna_a_expozice_muzea/
