The nursery children from Příbram are set to become gnomes

The town of Příbram is an old mining town, with mining – particularly in Březové Hory – dating back hundreds of years. We will have the chance to commemorate this history at the miners’ festival from 12 to 14 June.

In the first half of June, Příbram will host mining festivities linked to the 30th Meeting of Mining Towns and Villages of the Czech Republic and the 19th European Day of Miners and Metallurgists. The town’s subsidised organisations, the Guild of Příbram Miners and Metallurgists, the Příbram Mining Museum, as well as schools and local societies in Příbram, are also taking part in the celebrations organised by the town. Just as at the festivities ten years ago, we can look forward to seeing the ‘permoníčky’ – a traditional folk figure – portrayed by children from Příbram’s nurseries. 

“Schools in Příbram, at all levels, are also involved in organising the event, for which we expect more than a thousand members of miners’ and steelworkers’ associations to attend, not only from the Czech Republic. Whilst secondary school pupils will form part of the organising team, children from Příbram’s nursery schools will create artwork and also take part in the festive parades dressed as ‘permoníčky’, just as they did ten years ago during the celebrations marking the 800th anniversary of the first written mention of the town. “This year, the town’s mining history will be discussed in greater detail in both the aforementioned nursery schools and primary schools,” says Mayor Jan Konvalinka. 

It is certainly worth noting that the first written mention of mining at Březové Hory dates back to 1311. In 1875, at the Vojtěch mine, a world record was set for the first time: a vertical depth of 1,000 metres in a mine shaft using a single hoisting rope.

At the end of the 19th century, in 1892, a fire broke out at the Marie mine, claiming the lives of 319 miners – a disaster which was the world’s worst mining accident of its time and led to the introduction of fundamental safety measures. The mining of silver and lead ores ceased in 1978. The highest output of silver was recorded in 1898, amounting to 39.5 tonnes. Silver mining at the Příbram mining works in the 1880s and 1890s accounted for roughly 60–80 per cent of the entire Austro-Hungarian output. In the case of lead mining, this accounted for 30–35 per cent of the monarchy’s reserves.

In addition to the mining of the aforementioned ores, Příbram is also known for its uranium mining, which took place in the Příbram region between 1949 and 1991. 

Eva Švehlová, DiS.
, press officer
eva.svehlova@pribram.eu
Town of Příbram, Tyršova 108, 261 19, Příbram I
Tel.: 318 402 240
Mobile: 778 533 946 

Official Facebook page of the town of Příbram: https://www.facebook.com/mestskyuradpribram 

Published: 27. February 2026

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