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Bohemian Silver Mining

Type Object Region Bohemia Time c. 1300–1620

Bohemian silver mining centered on Kuttenberg and Jáchymov, using shafts, drainage, and mercury amalgamation techniques to support the Central Europe…

Timeline

  1. c. 1300–1520Kuttenberg · BohemiaIn the 14th–15th centuries Kuttenberg developed deep shaft mining, animal-powered and early water-powered drainage systems, and established a royal mint; its silver bullion circulated along Central European trade routes, and the name thaler (Joachimsthaler) derives from the Bohemian mining district.
  2. 1591Jáchymov (Joachimsthal) · Czech landsIn the 1590s Bohemian silver mines maintained high output under the supervision of the Royal Mining Administration, using mercury amalgamation (a variant of the patio process) and improved ventilation techniques; silver bullion was shipped to the Prague and Vienna mints, supporting Rudolf II's court expenses and war funding against the Ottomans.
  3. c. 1600–1620Bohemia · BohemiaAfter 1600 the main veins gradually depleted, and the Thirty Years' War destroyed mining facilities and labor forces; Bohemian silver gradually ceded its core role in Central European money supply to New World silver and Saxon mining districts.

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