MEMORIAL TO THE DISCOVERY OF RADIUM
Introduction
The memorial stands in the park area between the Agricola spa building and the Examination Institute, a setting closely linked to radon spa treatment. It commemorates the fact that radium was isolated from ores originating in this region, an achievement that profoundly influenced modern physics and medicine.
History
The memorial was built in 1950 according to a design by architect Ing. V. Rejniš from the Central Directorate of State Spas in Prague. The total cost amounted to 600,000 Kč. Half of the sum was covered by the Uranium Mines of Jáchymov, while the other half was shared equally by the Jáchymov Spa and the town of Jáchymov. Its creation reflects a period when mining tradition and the medical use of radioactivity formed an important part of the town’s official identity.
Description
The central element of the memorial is a plaque set against a dark background symbolising the veining of ore. The inscription, today partially damaged with several missing letters, reads:
V RUDÁCH Z TOHOTO MÍSTA V ROCE 1898 MARIE CURIE SKLODOWSKÁ A PIERRE CURIE OBJEVILI PRVEK RADIUM, ABY SLOUŽIL ŽIVOTU; DÍKY HORNÍKŮM A VĚDĚ RADIOVÉ PRAMENY A LÉČBA PROZAŘOVÁNÍM PŘINÁŠEJÍ ZDRAVÍ STATISÍCŮM
English translation:
“In ores from this place, in 1898, Marie Curie-Skłodowska and Pierre Curie discovered the element radium, so that it might serve life; thanks to miners and to science, radium springs and treatment by irradiation bring health to hundreds of thousands.”
Above the inscription is the sculpture Milosrdenství (Care of the Sick) by the academic sculptor Karel Lidický. The motif symbolically connects the scientific discovery with its healing benefit for humanity. The artistic concept reflects the monumental and ideologically expressive style typical of the early 1950s.
Significance
The memorial honours Marie Curie-Skłodowska and Pierre Curie, whose research led to the isolation of radium from Jáchymov pitchblende, as well as the local miners whose labour made the discovery possible. At the same time, it highlights the importance of radon springs and radiation therapy, which became an integral part of the town’s identity.
Present State
Today the memorial appears somewhat weathered and the inscription is partially damaged. Nevertheless, it remains an important testimony to the post-war period and to the close relationship between science, mining and spa treatment in Jáchymov.
