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Welcome to the website of my hometown – Jáchymov
Ecce, florent valles cum Evangelio
(See the blooming valleys with the Gospel)
Johannes Mathesius
What’s new on the site? Find out at the bottom of this page — both in text and in images.
The photo gallery for this site can be found next to the individual articles or directly at: http://mipalfi.rajce.idnes.cz/
This site contains photographs by third parties; please do not copy them without the permission of the copyright holders.
Do not use any other copyrighted documents without permission.
“The history of mining is so closely interwoven with the history of the country that it is impossible to separate them; indeed, it is certain that the rich mineral blessing of this land, which resounded throughout Europe, contributed greatly to this…”
Count Kaspar Sternberg — Outline of a History of the Bohemian Mines
Joachimsthal is becoming the basis of spa treatment used by patients from all over the world, but also a place of pilgrimage known for its history, architectural treasures, and natural beauty.
Marie Curie-Skłodowska, 1925
IMPORTANT NOTICE
As the author of this website, I am not involved in the operation of the town, the spa facilities, or the mines. Therefore, I cannot arrange visits to the mines, spa stays, or provide information regarding the activities of the Municipal Office or individual town organizations.
I am also not an official or academically trained historian. All articles therefore reflect my personal view of the respective topics.
A warm welcome to the website about my hometown — Joachimsthal (Jáchymov).
The town of Jáchymov is a wonderful place. On one hand, we find evidence of geological and human wealth and a beautiful landscape; on the other, signs of decline, destruction, and a landscape ruined by human activity, recklessness, carelessness, and the ever-present lure of money. In the case of Joachimsthal, however, the decisive factor is above all ore mining.
The occasional visitor will probably be struck by one of the local contrasts: the carefully restored spa district and, on the other hand, the devastated and therefore dilapidated upper town. Yet almost all historical monuments are concentrated there. However, if the visitor narrows one eye and uses their imagination, they may see not only the buildings but also a certain atmosphere enveloping the town — a town where past and present merge.
Jáchymov is a town that I love and of which I am proud. You may argue that there is nothing special about it, that it is just a place in the middle of nowhere, where nothing happens except spa treatments. I hope I can convince you that this is not the case.
For the record: the Czech name of the Ore Mountains, “Krušné hory,” does not come from the idea that life here is particularly harsh (krušný — rough, hard to endure). The name refers to the rich mining tradition of these mountains. In the past, the verb “krušiti” meant to mine or extract. In German, the range is called Erzgebirge — Ore Mountains. Moreover, many names of towns, villages, and mountains bear witness to mining in what was once the most densely populated mountain range in Europe. For example: Gottesgab, Seifen, Kupfberg, Keilberg, Špičák, and Cínovec. In the 19th century, it was the most densely populated mountain range in the world.
IF YOU LIKE THE WEBSITE, TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT IT. IF YOU DO NOT LIKE THE WEBSITE, WRITE AND TELL ME WHY.
Many thanks to Mrs. M. M. Šechtlová for permission to use photographs from the Šechtl–Voseček studio, and to Mr. Mgr. V. Vojíř for providing photographs of contemporary Joachimsthal, as well as to many others who selflessly provided their works or memories for the purposes of this website.
If you have photographs of Joachimsthal from the past or present and would like to present them, I will gladly provide space for them. A link to your page in your own folder is, of course, included.
DID KLÍNOVEC HAVE ITS OWN GLACIER?
2026-06-18
The highest mountain of the Ore Mountains may conceal one of the most fascinating traces of the distant past. Deep in the forests below Klínovec lies an inconspicuous landform that has raised a question for almost a hundred years: did a real mountain glacier exist here during the last Ice Age?
The answer is still not entirely clear. What is certain, however, is that this landscape was shaped by forces that are difficult to imagine today in the mild climate of the Ore Mountains.
HOW TO BUILD A HOUSE IN JÁCHYMOV IN 1520
2026-06-18
At the beginning of the 16th century, Jáchymov underwent an extraordinary transformation. Miners, craftsmen, merchants and entrepreneurs came to the narrow valley beneath the Ore Mountains in search of new opportunities. The silver rush brought enormous population growth and, with it, the need for new houses. Yet no chaotic settlement of temporary buildings emerged here. The preserved town Statutes show that every new house was built according to precisely defined rules that protected not only its owner and neighbours, but above all the functioning of the entire mining town.
HOUSE NO. 21 (ORIGINALLY NO. 71)
2026-06-14
On the upper side of Republic Square, close to the mint, stands one of the important examples of Jáchymov’s historic burgher architecture. The corner house No. 21, originally marked as No. 71, closes both the square and the adjoining row of houses. Behind its Late Baroque façade, a much older Renaissance building from the period of the mining town’s greatest prosperity has survived.
ALKAZAR: FROM A LIMESTONE QUARRY THROUGH A SECRET THIRD REICH FACTORY TO A NUCLEAR WASTE REPOSITORY
2026-06-07
The former limestone quarry that we know today by the romantic name Alkazar is one of those places where several important chapters of the 20th century meet within a single rock massif. First, people came here in search of stone, later in search of protection from bombs, and finally in search of a safe place for waste created at the beginning of the Czechoslovak nuclear age. The inconspicuous cliffs above the Berounka River still hide a story of mining, wartime plans, and nuclear history.
THE FIRST MINING SCHOOL IN THE WORLD
2026-06-01
In 1716, an institution was established in Jáchymov that changed the way mining specialists were educated. The first state-organized professional mining school in the world combined theoretical teaching, practical experience, and a scientific approach, becoming a model for other mining schools in Europe. Jáchymov thus gave the world not only silver, the thaler, or later radium, but also a new idea – that mining was not merely a craft passed down from generation to generation, but a field that could be systematically studied.
