Mining Museum Príbram
Encyclopedia
Mining Museum Příbram is a large open air museum of mining
with historical buildings and expositions of mining history and mineralogy
. It is located in Příbram
's Březové Hory quarter, former important Czech mining centre. It is one of the biggest museums in the Czech Republic. It was founded in 1886.
The Mining Museum Příbram follows the tradition of two past museums founded in 19th century. Part of the collections of the factory mining museum of Příbram's mining works, especially the collections of mineral
s, has been open to public already since 1852. Thanks to the school director Ladislav Malý, the Regional Museum in Příbram was founded December 12, 1886. Since the early beginning, the exhibits depicting the mining history were kept there, from modern era objects to archeological finds from Celtic times.
Although both institutions existed side by side for long decades, their condition was not promoted until the major change caused by the idea of Jiří Majer, director of the mining section of the National Technical Museum
(NTM) in Prague
. He asked to save the major mining structures in Příbram after their closure for the mining museum. The NTM took care of the factory museum collections and obtained the former office a dwelling building at the Ševčinský Shaft
(now the mineralogical exposition) as the seat of its mining branch.
Since 1963 the museum has been included into the Regional Museum in Příbram.
More buildings were selected for the museum in the 1970s, but only a small part of the plans was carried out. The museum obtained the cáchovna (registration room) close to the Ševčinský Shaft, miner's cottage and later the Ševčinský Shaft itself. Two other mines planned to be included into the museum (the St. Adalbert Shaft and the St. Anne Shaft) however deteriorate, the St. Anne Shaft Gallows Frame is destroyed as well as the listed boiler-plant in the St. Adalbert Shaft.
The situation has been changing since the early 1990s. The Ševčinský Shaft and the St. Anne Shaft were rebuilt. Museum took care of the St. Anne Shaft with a steam
winder
from 1914 and it bought the St. Adalbert Shaft from the pre-WWII
owners, who got the building back after the fall of communist regime in Czechoslovakia. After a reconstruction, the object was open for public in 2000.
Since 1998, the St. Prokop Adit
is used for museum purposes including the mine train.
The museum is named the Mining Museum Příbram and it is funded by the Central Bohemian Region
. Since the 1990s, the museum helds also several objects used for various non-mining original purposes outside of Příbram
. Václav Havel
initiated construction of the Vojna Memorial on a site of former communist labor camp
.
.
Museum runs also non-mining expositions including:
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
with historical buildings and expositions of mining history and mineralogy
Mineralogy
Mineralogy is the study of chemistry, crystal structure, and physical properties of minerals. Specific studies within mineralogy include the processes of mineral origin and formation, classification of minerals, their geographical distribution, as well as their utilization.-History:Early writing...
. It is located in Příbram
Príbram
Příbram is a city in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic with a population of 35,147. The city is located on the Litavka river and the foothills of Brdy, 60 kilometers south-west of Prague, the country's capital...
's Březové Hory quarter, former important Czech mining centre. It is one of the biggest museums in the Czech Republic. It was founded in 1886.
History
Mineral
A mineral is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance formed through biogeochemical processes, having characteristic chemical composition, highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties. By comparison, a rock is an aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids and does not...
s, has been open to public already since 1852. Thanks to the school director Ladislav Malý, the Regional Museum in Příbram was founded December 12, 1886. Since the early beginning, the exhibits depicting the mining history were kept there, from modern era objects to archeological finds from Celtic times.
Although both institutions existed side by side for long decades, their condition was not promoted until the major change caused by the idea of Jiří Majer, director of the mining section of the National Technical Museum
National Technical Museum (Prague)
The National Technical Museum in Prague is the largest institution dedicated to preserving information and artifacts related to the history of technology in the Czech Republic. The museum was founded in 1908 and has been in its current location since 1941. The museum has large exhibits...
(NTM) in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
. He asked to save the major mining structures in Příbram after their closure for the mining museum. The NTM took care of the factory museum collections and obtained the former office a dwelling building at the Ševčinský Shaft
Shaft mining
Shaft mining or shaft sinking refers to the method of excavating a vertical or near-vertical tunnel from the top down, where there is initially no access to the bottom....
(now the mineralogical exposition) as the seat of its mining branch.
Since 1963 the museum has been included into the Regional Museum in Příbram.
More buildings were selected for the museum in the 1970s, but only a small part of the plans was carried out. The museum obtained the cáchovna (registration room) close to the Ševčinský Shaft, miner's cottage and later the Ševčinský Shaft itself. Two other mines planned to be included into the museum (the St. Adalbert Shaft and the St. Anne Shaft) however deteriorate, the St. Anne Shaft Gallows Frame is destroyed as well as the listed boiler-plant in the St. Adalbert Shaft.
The situation has been changing since the early 1990s. The Ševčinský Shaft and the St. Anne Shaft were rebuilt. Museum took care of the St. Anne Shaft with a steam
Steam
Steam is the technical term for water vapor, the gaseous phase of water, which is formed when water boils. In common language it is often used to refer to the visible mist of water droplets formed as this water vapor condenses in the presence of cooler air...
winder
Winder
Winder may refer to:* winder , a device for transferring energy into a mechanical storage such as mainsprings or the weights of a longcase clock. Its supply may be the hand—most familiarly so—or an electric motor....
from 1914 and it bought the St. Adalbert Shaft from the pre-WWII
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
owners, who got the building back after the fall of communist regime in Czechoslovakia. After a reconstruction, the object was open for public in 2000.
Since 1998, the St. Prokop Adit
Adit
An adit is an entrance to an underground mine which is horizontal or nearly horizontal, by which the mine can be entered, drained of water, and ventilated.-Construction:...
is used for museum purposes including the mine train.
The museum is named the Mining Museum Příbram and it is funded by the Central Bohemian Region
Central Bohemian Region
Central Bohemian Region is an administrative unit of the Czech Republic, located in the central part of its historical region of Bohemia. Its administrative center is placed in the Czech capital Prague , which lies in the center of the region...
. Since the 1990s, the museum helds also several objects used for various non-mining original purposes outside of Příbram
Príbram
Příbram is a city in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic with a population of 35,147. The city is located on the Litavka river and the foothills of Brdy, 60 kilometers south-west of Prague, the country's capital...
. Václav Havel
Václav Havel
Václav Havel is a Czech playwright, essayist, poet, dissident and politician. He was the tenth and last President of Czechoslovakia and the first President of the Czech Republic . He has written over twenty plays and numerous non-fiction works, translated internationally...
initiated construction of the Vojna Memorial on a site of former communist labor camp
Labor camp
A labor camp is a simplified detention facility where inmates are forced to engage in penal labor. Labor camps have many common aspects with slavery and with prisons...
.
Expositions
Comparing the number of permanent expositions, the Mining Museum Příbram is the biggest museum in the Czech RepublicCzech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
.
- Ševčinský Shaft (building from 1879)
- Engine room (mining supercharger), Gallows Frame
- Show room
- Cáchovna (registration room, 1880) - exposition of mining history
- Driving wheelDriving wheelOn a steam locomotive, a driving wheel is a powered wheel which is driven by the locomotive's pistons...
from mining liftElevatorAn elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
used from 16th till 19th century, Middle AgesMiddle AgesThe Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
pulleyPulleyA pulley, also called a sheave or a drum, is a mechanism composed of a wheel on an axle or shaft that may have a groove between two flanges around its circumference. A rope, cable, belt, or chain usually runs over the wheel and inside the groove, if present...
and miners' bell tower - Exposition of mining technology since the 1950s
- MineralogicalMineralogyMineralogy is the study of chemistry, crystal structure, and physical properties of minerals. Specific studies within mineralogy include the processes of mineral origin and formation, classification of minerals, their geographical distribution, as well as their utilization.-History:Early writing...
exposition - Miner's cottage from the 17th century
- St. Adalbert Shaft
- Steam winderWinderWinder may refer to:* winder , a device for transferring energy into a mechanical storage such as mainsprings or the weights of a longcase clock. Its supply may be the hand—most familiarly so—or an electric motor....
Breitfed-Daněk from 1889 - Exposition commemorating sinking to 1,000 m depth in 1875 - first time in the world
- St. Mary Adit (
- Gallows Frame
- Steam winder
- St. Anne Shaft
- Steam winderWinderWinder may refer to:* winder , a device for transferring energy into a mechanical storage such as mainsprings or the weights of a longcase clock. Its supply may be the hand—most familiarly so—or an electric motor....
from 1914 - St. Prokop Adit , mining train
- St. Anne water tunnel (16th to 18th century)
- Steam winder
- Water-wheel in the underground of the Drkolnov mine from the 19th century, diameter of 12.4 m
Museum runs also non-mining expositions including:
- Vojna Memorial near Příbram - prisonPrisonA prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
used as a communist labor campLabor campA labor camp is a simplified detention facility where inmates are forced to engage in penal labor. Labor camps have many common aspects with slavery and with prisons...
in the 1950s. - Open air museum in Vysoký ChlumecVysoký ChlumecVysoký Chlumec is a village and municipality in Příbram District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic....
- countryside architecture - The granaryGranaryA granary is a storehouse for threshed grain or animal feed. In ancient or primitive granaries, pottery is the most common use of storage in these buildings. Granaries are often built above the ground to keep the stored food away from mice and other animals.-Early origins:From ancient times grain...
museum in Prostřední Lhota - folkloreFolkloreFolklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
of the Central BohemiaBohemiaBohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague... - Museum of goldGoldGold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
in Nový KnínNový KnínNový Knín is a town in the Czech Republic.-External links:*...