Introduction
Until 1873, Jáchymov had preserved, despite wars, mining decline and smaller fires, the character of a spontaneously developed Renaissance town from the early sixteenth century, when it was the second most populous town in the Kingdom of Bohemia. Tall gabled houses, timbered upper storeys and shingle roofs formed a unique urban ensemble of exceptional historical value. This image disappeared within a few hours.
The beginning of 1873 was unusually dry. Winter brought very little snow, and in March it hardly rained at all. Temperatures were relatively high. These conditions prepared the ground for the greatest catastrophe in the town’s history. Effective fire-prevention measures were largely absent. Shortly before the disaster, the master mason Siegl had submitted a proposal to improve fire protection of St Joachim’s Church, but it was rejected primarily due to financial costs.
Course of the Fire
The fire broke out at 11:15 a.m. on 31 March 1873 in an abandoned locksmith’s workshop roughly on the site of today’s Hotel Praha. Although firefighters arrived quickly and volunteers passed water from the nearby stream, strong south-eastern winds carried the flames across shingled roofs further down the valley.
Firewalls and fire-resistant tiles proved insufficient. The house of notary Heidler, considered secure and used to store neighbours’ valuables, also burned. By noon, the municipal slaughterhouse and St Anne’s Chapel were ablaze. At 12:15 p.m., the burghers’ brewery and ten neighbouring houses were burning. Shortly afterwards, the Hotel U hvězdy and the Renaissance house of baker Früchtl were consumed. Flames spread into streets parallel to the square.
From No. 182 in Long Street (today Šafaříkova Street), the telegraph apparatus was carried out, and news of the disaster spread rapidly. Despite the arrival of fire brigades from all directions, the blaze could not be halted. The heat was so intense that even houses No. 144 and 145, roofed with fireproof tiles, burned out as the supporting beams ignited.
By 1:15 p.m., the town hall, the Upper Office (former mint) and, across the square, the Hotel Stadt Dresden (later Slovanský dům) were on fire. The pharmacy resisted for some time thanks to the efforts of residents and firefighters, but eventually succumbed. St Joachim’s Church initially stood like an island amid the flames. However, nearby buildings, including a glove factory and a cork workshop, burned fiercely. At 3:00 p.m., smoke appeared on the small sanctus turret of the church. Soon the entire roof was engulfed. The collapse of the roof truss resounded loudly, and the burning tower resembled a gigantic torch. Molten silver flowed from the church towards the town hall, where it gradually cooled. By 4:00 p.m., the town had effectively been destroyed.
Although a town of around 7,000 inhabitants burned, the fire claimed “only” four lives, a surprisingly low number given the scale of devastation. Most residents sheltered in stone cellars or fled to surrounding hillsides, leaving their refuges only around midnight.
Extent of Damage
Only a few buildings remained intact, including the old town hall on Anenské Square (Slovany), the Church of All Saints with its hospital and several scattered houses outside the main built-up area. Otherwise, the town lay in ruins. Key municipal documents, including mining maps, were destroyed. Of St Joachim’s Church, only the outer walls and tower survived.
Irreplaceable artistic treasures were lost: the painted panelled ceiling, the original Lutheran altar depicting the Last Supper by Lucas Cranach from 1545, the grey marble altar of St Joachim, the Altar of the Holy Cross with a life-sized silver figure of Christ, the embossed silver pulpit borne by a miner figure and numerous gifts from mining brotherhoods. Of eight wall epitaphs, three attributed to Albrecht Dürer, only heat-twisted metal fragments remained.
Reconstruction
Thanks to the telegraph, news spread quickly throughout the monarchy. The first aid wagons arrived shortly after midnight from Oberwiesenthal in Saxony. A nationwide collection raised 154,000 guilders. A special law granted a state loan of 500,000 guilders, repayable over ten years with a four-year deferment. Members of the ruling family, nobility and clergy contributed money and materials.
Temporary shelters were erected on Zimmerhöhe above Svornost. Reconstruction began almost immediately. The new school was commissioned to builder Dörfler of Loket for 79,000 guilders; its foundation stone was laid in July 1873, and it opened on 1 October the following year. Of 79 bids for rebuilding the church, the contract was awarded to master carpenter J. J. Richter of Johanngeorgenstadt for 88,000 guilders, according to plans by architect Josef Mocker, builder of St Vitus Cathedral in Prague. Work began on 14 April 1874. The reconstruction, however, fundamentally altered the church’s original appearance.
Consequences
The fire permanently changed Jáchymov’s face. Renaissance gables and timbered storeys disappeared, replaced by a new historicist architectural style. Recovery took decades, and the cultural losses were never fully compensated.
The catastrophe also brought improvements. New buildings were constructed with fire safety in mind, firewalls were introduced, and a professional fire brigade was established.
The disaster revealed both solidarity and darker aspects of human behaviour. Shortly before the fire, thieves had broken into the church crypt, smashing coffins and stealing jewellery and valuables. Only a silver plate from the coffin of Dean Gerzner was later recovered.
As Dr Gustav Laube wrote in a brochure published immediately after the fire to aid the victims, a dark cloud rose above the valley like that over Vesuvius, and “to the people came the message the ominous cloud foretold: Jáchymov is no more.”
Photo gallery: https://mipalfi.rajce.idnes.cz/Pozar_31.3.1873/
