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THE RADIUM ERA AND THE WORLD MONOPOLY (1896–1938)
The discovery of radioactivity by Henri Becquerel in 1896 marked a revolution in physics. In 1898, Pierre and Marie Curie isolated polonium and radium from the residues of Jáchymov pitchblende. As a result, pitchblende became one of the most valuable raw materials of its time.
Radium was obtained through the complex chemical process of fractional crystallization. Production was exceptionally demanding. Approximately 8 to 10 tonnes of ore had to be processed to obtain a single gram of radium.
Annual radium production in Jáchymov ranged between 1 and 3.5 grams. Peak production was achieved during the 1930s. Before the First World War, the price of one gram of radium was approximately 300,000 to 500,000 marks. During the interwar period, Jáchymov effectively held a global monopoly on radium production.
The radium era had several important consequences:
Jáchymov became a center of radiochemistry.
Specialized technological facilities for the extraction of radioactive elements were established.
Uranium ceased to be merely a chemical raw material and became an element of major scientific and medical significance.
In 1905, the radioactivity of mine waters at the Werner Mine (Rovnost) was confirmed. This was caused by the presence of radon, a gas produced by the decay of radium. This discovery laid the foundation for radon therapy, which continued even after mining operations had ended.
The radium era came to an end in 1938 when the town was annexed to the German Reich.
