JÁCHYMOV – gateway to the Ore Mountains

A major industrial turning point occurred in 1843 when the chemist Adolf Patera initiated the systematic processing of pitchblende for the production of uranium pigments. Although often overlooked, this phase created the technological and logistical foundation for the later production of radium.

During the second half of the nineteenth century, annual production amounted to approximately 40 to 50 tonnes of uranium ore. The ore was chemically processed into uranium salts, primarily sodium and potassium uranates, which were used as pigments for coloring glass and porcelain. Uranium glass was distinguished by its characteristic greenish-yellow fluorescence under ultraviolet light.

The crucial technological factor was that, after the extraction of uranium salts, waste material remained that contained other radioactive elements. For a long time, this material was considered worthless. It was from these residues that Marie Curie-Skłodowska later succeeded in isolating radium.

The chemical phase therefore created:

– mining infrastructure
– basic chemical processing facilities
– a logistical system for exporting uranium products
– stockpiles of secondary material suitable for radiochemical use

Without this phase, Jáchymov pitchblende would have remained nothing more than a mineralogical curiosity.