JÁCHYMOV – gateway to the Ore Mountains

German chemist, discoverer of nuclear fission and Nobel Prize laureate in chemistry. He visited Jáchymov in connection with a scientific meeting devoted to radioactivity and its use in spa treatment.

German writer and dramatist, one of the leading figures of Weimar Classicism. He visited Jáchymov together with his friend Johann Wolfgang von Goethe during Goethe’s stay in Karlovy Vary.

Philosopher, politician and statesman, founder of Czechoslovakia and its first president. He was one of the most important figures of modern Czech history. Masaryk visited Jáchymov seven times and celebrated his eightieth birthday there on 7 March 1930 in the Radium Palace.

German theologian, religious reformer and founder of the Protestant Reformation. His criticism of the sale of indulgences led to a split within Western Christianity and the emergence of Lutheranism. According to some sources he may have visited Jáchymov during a journey to Bohemia, although this visit is not reliably documented.

Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia and Hungary and one of the most important reformers of the Habsburg monarchy. His reforms included the Patent of Toleration, the abolition of serfdom and measures limiting the influence of the Church in public life. He visited Jáchymov twice, in 1766 and 1779.

Czechoslovak politician, diplomat and statesman, close collaborator of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk and one of the creators of Czechoslovak foreign policy. He served as President of Czechoslovakia in 1935–1938 and again in 1945–1948. He visited Jáchymov three times, in 1927, 1937 and 1947.

Czech physicist, radiologist and writer, a student of Marie Curie-Sklodowska and one of the pioneers of research into radioactivity and cosmic radiation. He is considered the founder of Czechoslovak atomic physics and became widely known as a member of Umberto Nobile’s polar expedition to the North Pole in 1928.

Discoverer of polonium and radium, pioneer of research into radioactivity and the first woman to receive a Nobel Prize. She remains the only person in history to have been awarded two Nobel Prizes in two different scientific disciplines. Her discoveries were based in part on uranium ore from Jáchymov.

A noble family that stood at the origin and the first flourishing of Jáchymov. Thanks to silver mining and coin minting, the Schlik family became one of the most important noble houses in the Kingdom of Bohemia in the 16th century and played a significant role in the political and military history of Central Europe.

German writer, poet, dramatist and scientist, one of the most important figures of European literature. A representative of the Sturm und Drang movement and later of Weimar Classicism. During a stay in Karlovy Vary in 1785 he also visited Jáchymov and descended into the Svornost mine to study the geological wealth of the region.