Introduction
From the very beginning of the silver boom, the Lintacker silver smelter stood near the confluence of the Veseřice and Černý potok streams, documented as early as 1517. It was one of the largest smelting works in Europe at the time. After the decline of silver mining, it remained the only one of the original thirteen smelters and was purchased by the town council in 1550.
In addition to silver, cobalt, nickel and bismuth ores were processed here, producing cobalt smalts. For this reason, Püchner’s factory for smalts and cobalt colours was founded nearby in 1780. The smelter was modernised and renamed the Imperial and Royal Silver Smelting Works (k. k. Silberschmelzhütte). However, due to the decline of mining in Jáchymov, there was often insufficient ore to process.
Discovery of Uranium and Establishment of the Factory
A turning point came with the discovery of uranium and the recognition that uranium salts displayed striking colours and were suitable for colouring glass and ceramics. The industrial exploitation of this fact was made possible in the nineteenth century.
In 1847, the Czech chemist Adolf Patera, professor at the Mining Academy in Příbram, developed a method for the industrial production of uranium colours. In 1852 he moved to Jáchymov, and between 1852 and 1854 the original smelter was completely rebuilt and modernised according to his requirements. The official opening took place in May 1854.
In October 1855, the Uranium Colour Factory (k. k. Urangelbfabrik, later k. k. Uranfabrik) began operation. At that time, Jáchymov was considered the only location where the necessary ore occurred in quantities suitable for industrial processing.
Expansion of Production
Mass production also led to systematic mining of pitchblende. In 1865, for example, 600 kg of pitchblende were found on the old dump of the Emperor Joseph II mine.
Initially, uranium yellow was produced according to Patera’s recipe. After his departure in 1857, the chemist Arnošt Vysoký took over the factory and significantly expanded its range. Products included sodium yellow (1858), ammonium yellow (1859), uranium black (protoxide) used mainly by porcelain factories (1865), and potassium yellow (1867). Later discoveries included a yellow-green nitrate and other compounds.
Jáchymov products surpassed global competition in quality, as evidenced by numerous awards: a gold medal at the Munich Industrial Exhibition in 1854, awards in Paris in 1855 and 1867, and in London in 1862. Initially, production was packed in one Vienna pound units (0.56 kg), later in standard 0.5 kg packages bearing the factory seal and emblem.
In 1871, the factory was completely rebuilt. The original building was raised by one storey, creating a two-storey structure with pseudo-Romanesque windows and tall chimneys. Production increased dramatically. While in 1853 only 84.6 kg of uranium colours were produced, by 1886 output had reached 12,776 kg. By 1898, a total of 108 tonnes had been manufactured, most destined for export.
Radium and Global Monopoly
At the end of the nineteenth century, a crisis emerged as uranium glass fell out of fashion. The works manager Gustav Kroupa ordered that production waste should no longer be discarded into the stream but stored on heaps. This decision proved crucial.
In 1898, Pierre Curie and Marie Skłodowska-Curie requested waste material for scientific purposes. Between 1898 and 1899, 1,135 kg of waste were sent free of charge to Paris, followed by additional shipments in 1902 and 1905. From the first shipment, Marie Curie isolated 120 mg of radium, and from later consignments another three grams.
In the following decades, radium was also produced directly in the Jáchymov factory, which effectively gained a world monopoly thanks to its access to the raw material.
Spa Use and Later History
At the beginning of the twentieth century, the factory found new functions. In 1908, spa cabins for radon baths and radium irradiation were established on the premises. In 1911, the first spa building in Jáchymov (today’s Agricola) was constructed nearby.
In 1927, the factory underwent its final modernisation and a second production line was launched. In 1929, 23.3 tonnes of uranium colours and 3,521 mg of radium were dispatched.
End
Production ceased in 1939 following the German annexation of the border region. In 1940, the building, which had stood on the site for 423 years, was demolished. Reasons included heavy smoke and unpleasant odours, as well as planned redevelopment of the spa district.
Today, a park occupies the site of the former factory, and a children’s playground stands where waste heaps once supplied the world with radium.
