BASIC INTRODUCTION TO THE CITY
Jáchymov lies in the western part of the Ore Mountains, in the deeply carved valley of the Jáchymov Stream. Its location is one of the town’s most distinctive features and influenced its appearance, development and everyday life of its inhabitants from the very beginning. Unlike most towns, it was not founded on a plain or in a wide river basin, but was literally set into the steep slopes of the Ore Mountains. The surrounding landscape, its elevation, geological structure and mineral wealth determined the future importance of this place.
The cadastral area of the town covers approximately 5,075 hectares, or 50.75 km². It consists of two cadastral areas – Jáchymov, covering approximately 4,738 hectares, and Popov near Jáchymov, covering about 337 hectares. This extensive mountain area includes not only the town itself, but also deep valleys, mountain forests, former mining sites and the highest parts of the Ore Mountains. Today, approximately 2,300 inhabitants live here.
The most remarkable feature is the great vertical diversity of the entire area. The lowest parts of the Jáchymov cadastral territory lie at an elevation of approximately 560 metres above sea level, while the highest point is the summit of Klínovec, reaching 1,244 metres above sea level. The difference between the lowest and highest points is therefore almost 700 metres. Thanks to this, Jáchymov ranks among Czech towns with one of the greatest elevation ranges within their administrative territory. For comparison, some other well-known mountain towns show similarly exceptional values, such as Pec pod Sněžkou, whose cadastral area rises from the Úpa valley all the way to the summit of Sněžka (1,603 m above sea level).
Even more striking is the location of the urban area itself. The lower part of Jáchymov near the spa district begins at an elevation of approximately 560 metres above sea level, while the upper part of the historic town reaches around 750 metres. Over a distance of only about two kilometres, the town therefore climbs almost 200 metres. The main street of Jáchymov is thus not merely an ordinary urban road – it is also a route leading upward into the mountains. This steep gradient determined the arrangement of houses, the shape of streets and the everyday life of generations of residents.
The historic centre with the town hall, the Royal Mint, the Church of St. Joachim and the ensemble of Renaissance burgher houses lies at an elevation of approximately 670 metres above sea level. Thanks to its position on the southern slope of the Ore Mountains, the town is partly protected from cold northern winds. Nevertheless, it has a typical mountain climate – winters are longer and colder, summers are milder and precipitation is higher than in lower-lying areas. The long-term average annual temperature is approximately between 6 and 7 °C.
Jáchymov lies on an important mountain route connecting Karlovy Vary with the ridge area of the Ore Mountains and neighbouring Saxony. It is located approximately 20 kilometres from Karlovy Vary. Only seven kilometres to the north are Boží Dar and the border area with the German town of Oberwiesenthal. The geographical position of the town corresponds approximately to the coordinates 50°21′ north latitude and 12°56′ east longitude.
Just as exceptional as the landscape above the surface is the world hidden beneath it. More than five centuries of mining activity created an extensive system of mines, adits and underground passages beneath Jáchymov. Their exact total length is unknown, as some of the older mining works were never fully documented or their maps have not survived. What is certain, however, is that the underground system here belongs among the most extensive historical mining systems in Central Europe.
Jáchymov is therefore a town of extraordinary elevation differences – from the spa valley through the steeply rising historic centre all the way to Klínovec, the highest mountain of the Ore Mountains. Within a single cadastral area, mountain nature, a dramatic landscape and the legacy of one of Europe’s most famous ore mining districts come together.
