Pribram

and the Surrounding Region

Trilobits lived in the shelf, in the locality situated today
among the towns Praha, Plzen, Pribram and Beroun.
Trilobit from the site near Pribram

 

After 350 million years, in about 1000 BC, an important trade route
passed through the valley of Litavka creek.
Around 400 BC, the Kelts had been living and doing gold-washing here.
Birches which have been growing along Litavka creek
are a shield for the remains of the gold-washing 2400 years ago

 

Silver was mined here in the 10th century and a mining colony was founded.
The mining area Brezove Hory (Birch Mountains) expanded and
one thousand years late became a part of Pribram.
The detail of sgraffito on a Pribram house, by artist Mikolas Ales

 

The oldest document about Pribram is from 1216.
In 16th century mining was at a high level here.
In 1579 Pribram became the Royal Mining Town.
After the Thirty-year war (1618-1648) Pribram was devastated.
Pribram as a Royal Mining Town, the document of emperor Rudolph II. from 1579

 

The silver mining peaked in the later half of the 18th century.
Approximately 100 kg was mined daily.
In 1849 – 1945 the Mining Academy resided in Pribram.
In 1875 the Vojtech shaft (Adalbert) was the first in the world,
to reach a depth of 1000 m.
In 1892, the largest mining disaster in the world at this time
happened in the Marie shaft.
During the large fire, 319 miners perished.
Since 1890, the mining of silver has been stagnating.
The Mining catastrophe memorial on the cemetery of Brezove Hory

 

In the beginning of 20th century Pribram had about 10 000 inhabitants.
Coloured postcard printed in 1910

 

Uranium ore has been extracted near Pribram since 1949.
At that time, many political prisoners were forced to work there.
In 1980` there were approximately 40.000 inhabitants in Pribram.
The depletion of resources in the mining sites in the 1990`s
caused working of the sites to dwindle.
All of the Pribram shafts have been shut down.
Some of these sites were rebuilt and are now
part of the Mining museum in Brezove Hory.
Visitors can look at unique mining equipment,
take a walk through the gallery, or take a ride on a mining train.
Emperor Franz Joseph`s shaft, part of the Mining museum today

 

Pure silver                                           Uranite

 

Miner`s folk carving, co called "Stufenwerk"

 

Svata Hora (Holy Mountain) is a well known pilgrimage site in Europe
and is dedicated to the Cult of the Virgin Mary.
It was built on the hill over Pribram by the Order of Jesuits in 1658-1707.
The Monastery and Maria-church were constructed with the help
of the well known Italian architects D.Orsi, M.Alia and C.Lurago.
The Holy Mountain is an architectural jewel of Czech Baroque.

 

Silver shrine at the Maria-church of Holy Mountain

 

Army Training Area established in 1920`s in the nearby Brdy hills.
The Army of the Czech Republic is still using it today as a site for training exercises.
Paradoxly, the area has been saved from exploitation
and the environment remains clean for future generations.
Maly Padrtsky rybnik (the Little Padrt Pool) in Brdy hills

 

Karel Capek

 

Karel Capek`s dramas The mother, Cracatite
and Power and Glory are known throughout the world,
in the 1930`s he lived in his summer-house Strz (Ravine)
near Dobris (20 km N-E from Pribram).
This residency - Memorial of K.Capek - is very attractive for visitors now.

 

Frantisek Drtikol (1883-1961), born in Pribram,
was the first Czech photographer who became well-known
throughout the world during his life.
His pictures decorated the world`s photographic collections.
A permanent exposition of F.D. is in Pribram`s Manor house - Ernestinum.
Self-portrait

 

Mining, 1908, oilprint

 

Untitled, 1927, pigment print

 

Jakub Jan Ryba (1765-1815) composed his world-known
Czech Christmas Celebration in the little town of Rozmital pod Tremsinem
(17 km S-W from Pribram), there he served as a teacher.
Memory paper to J.J.Ryba designed by J.Caka

 

Jan Caka, a recent Pribram designer,
is the author of many regional illustrations, very popular among the locals.
From the J.Caka`s map of Brdy hills

 

Antonin Dvorak, a world known composer,
frequently visited Pribram between 1884 and 1905.
In the nearby village of Vysoka (7 km south from Pribram),
he composed many of his supreme works.
The best-known is the opera Rusalka (Undine).
Annually since 1969, the Dvorak Music Festival has taken place
in Pribram and Vysoka.
Dvorak`s bust, near the railway station in Pribram

 

The hotel Modry hrozen (Blue Grape) in the centre of Pribram,
which A.Dvorak often visited

 

The Manor house in the village of Vysoka, Memorial of A.Dvorak today

 

Pribram from the central tower of Holy Mountain. The Tremosna hill (778 m) is on the skyline

 

The Pribram coat-of-arms

 

Thanks to:

Mestsky urad Pribram - Okresni muzeum Pribram - Antikvariat Olsanska a Hyspler
Pamatnik Karla Capka - Generalni stab Armady Ceske Republiky
Nakladatelstvi KANT Praha - Jan Caka - Galerie Frantiska Drtikola - Proboststvi Svata Hora
Pamatnik Antonina Dvoraka

-PPr-