Kutná Hora Silver Mine

Type Object Region Central Europe Time 1441–1450

The Kutná Hora silver mine was the economic lifeline of the Kingdom of Bohemia in the mid-15th century, a period of recovery after the Hussite Wars.

Timeline

1441–1445Kutná Hora mining district (Oseck mining belt) · Czech RepublicIn the early 15th century the Hussite Wars drove the German mining elite into exile and brought extraction nearly to a standstill; by the mid-1440s new entrepreneurs and capital returned, and shafts in the Oseck mining belt resumed operation, with some shafts already reaching depths of five hundred meters.
1446–1450Hrádek · Kutná HoraThe mining merchant Jan Smíšek purchased Hrádek Castle after the Hussite Wars and rebuilt it on a large scale; innovations in refining silver-copper polymetallic ore raised output, and slag heaps in the western part of the town are estimated at five hundred thousand tons, indicating the scale of smelting in the mid-15th century.

Towards an ecology of medieval mining towns: linking social and environmental changes https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/archaeological-dialogues/article/towards-an-ecology-of-medieval-mining-towns-linking-social-and-environmental-changes/FB4ACF254050BDE5521F216362971F2D
History of Hrádek https://www.cms-kh.cz/eng/history-of-hradek