Introduction
In 1530, a miners’ hospital was established beside the Church of All Saints by the hat-maker and later mint master Wolf Sturz. At the same time, the municipal cemetery was founded here as well. A unique centre of care for the human being in its entirety thus came into being – in life as well as after death. In the rapidly developing mining town, care for both body and soul was of fundamental importance, as mining brought not only prosperity but also significant health risks.
History
The hospital was a simple single-storey Renaissance building constructed on an L-shaped ground plan. It was connected to the church by a covered passageway, enabling direct access between the two buildings. A central corridor ran through the middle of the structure, with individual rooms accessible on both sides. The attic spaces of the church were used as storage areas for food and supplies serving the hospital. This form of the complex is also depicted on a fragment of the mining map from 1534.
The importance of the town was reflected in the distinguished personalities who worked at the hospital. Among the first town physicians was Magister Rümpfel. Medical care was further represented by the physician and pharmacist Georg Sturz, son of the hospital’s founder, as well as the physician Jan Niavius. As early as 1523, Václav Payer, also known as W. Beyer, published a book devoted to mining medicine. It served as a professional guide addressing specific health problems of miners and was intended not only for future physicians but also for the miners themselves. Magnus Hund and Beyer de Cubito collected materials here for their works describing the so-called Joachimsthal mining disease. Between 1558 and 1566, the physician Franz Rener worked here; he was commemorated by a plaque placed beside the entrance portal bearing the inscription “FRANCZ RENER | SPITTEL | MEISTER”.
Description
The last significant alterations took place during a Baroque reconstruction. The building was covered by a high gabled roof, and the gables were made of timber boarding. The façades were smooth and without plastic ornamentation. The portal dating from 1566 stood in the north-western wall. Above its cornice was a panel bearing an extensive biblical inscription calling for mercy and assistance to the poor. The text quoted words from the Book of Tobit and emphasised that whoever helps the needy will receive God’s grace and blessing. The date 1566 commemorated the time when the portal was created.
Restoration
It is not entirely clear when and why the building ceased to serve its original purpose. It gradually fell into disrepair, and its condition steadily deteriorated. A decisive blow came with the fire of 1955, which significantly accelerated its demise. In 1958, the remains of the perimeter walls were used as the foundation for a terrace with a scattering meadow, an urn grove, and a memorial site.
The hospital was last indirectly recalled in 1992, when a wooden grain shovel originally belonging to its equipment was discovered in the church attic during renovation works. This modest object symbolically reminded later generations of one of the oldest institutions of social and medical care in the town.
