INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE JÁCHYMOV MINES, 1946–1961
7.1 Establishment of the State Enterprise (1946)
The state enterprise Jáchymov Mines was officially established on 7 March 1946. Formally, it was subordinated to the Central Directorate of Czechoslovak Mines within the Ministry of Industry. In practice, however, management was exercised from the outset through a parallel mechanism represented by the permanent Czechoslovak-Soviet Commission established under the November 1945 agreement.
This created a dual structure:
• formal state administration
• effective bilateral control through the commission
The commission had the authority to approve five-year mining plans, determine prices, supervise technical organization, and resolve disputes. In the event of disagreement, matters were to be referred directly to the governments of both states, effectively elevating decisions to the political level.
7.2 Organizational Expansion (1947–1951)
After 1947, the enterprise expanded rapidly. New mines were opened, and former silver workings were reopened. The principal mining sites included:
Eliáš
Nikolaj
Bratrství
Adam
Eva
Barbora
Rovnost
Vykmanov
Albrecht
Eduard
Tomáš
Zlatý kopec
Abertamy
Potůčky
In the Horní Slavkov region, more than twenty shafts were opened within six years. Mining operations there were intensive but relatively short-lived due to the rapid depletion of the deposits.
At the same time, a network of supporting enterprises was established:
• Šachtstroj – assembly and production of mining equipment
• Construction Division of Jáchymov Mines – mining construction capacities
• Ostrov Mechanization and Automation Plant – development of measuring and electrical technologies
• Nejdek Chemical Processing Plant – ore treatment and processing
• Geological Exploration Service (later headquartered in Hluboš)
The enterprise was therefore not merely a mining organization but a comprehensive industrial conglomerate.
7.3 Separation from the Ministry of Industry (1952)
In 1952, Jáchymov Mines was removed from the authority of the Ministry of Industry. A Main Administration for Research was established and placed directly under the Prime Minister of the Czechoslovak Republic. This represented a major institutional change:
Uranium mining was removed from the ordinary economic framework and elevated to the status of a centrally managed strategic sector.
Subsequently, the Central Administration for the Exploration and Mining of Radioactive Raw Materials was established. Its position was comparable to that of a ministry and it was directly linked to the State Planning Commission.
This confirms that uranium was not treated as an ordinary commodity but as a component of national security and military strategy.
7.4 Personnel and Security Structure
Soviet advisers with significant decision-making influence operated within the enterprise. Senior management positions were also held by Soviet specialists. Personnel links with the Soviet atomic complex and the Wismut enterprise in East Germany can be clearly documented.
Security was provided by the National Security Corps (SNB), particularly units of the State Security Service (StB). The labor camps were supervised by the Ministry of National Security.
The enterprise therefore functioned as an industrial organization operating under intensive security oversight.
7.5 Shift of Operations to the Příbram Region (1960–1961)
The gradual depletion of uranium deposits in the Jáchymov area led to the transfer of mining activities to the Příbram region. In 1960, the Mining Inspectorate was reorganized, and in 1961 the enterprise Uranium Mines Příbram was established. This effectively marked the end of Jáchymov Mines as an independent organization.
