Jáchymov, Mining town in Ore Mountains, Czech Republic
Jáchymov is a mining town in the Ore Mountains near the German border, sitting at an elevation of about 600 meters in a forested mountain landscape. The town shows visible signs of its mining past through old buildings, thermal bath facilities, and remnants of extraction sites scattered throughout.
Silver was discovered here in 1516, which quickly transformed the location into a major production center for coins highly valued across Europe. Over centuries, the mining focus shifted from silver to other minerals, eventually including uranium in more recent times.
The town's name comes from the silver coins once made here that later inspired the word dollar in global currency. Walking through the streets, you still see buildings and mining structures that reflect this past connection to worldwide commerce.
The town is easily explored on foot, with walking paths and mining museums providing insight into the area's history and open year-round for visitors. The thermal springs offer bathing options in the traditional bathhouses, particularly popular during warmer months.
The world's first radon spa opened here in 1906, making use of radioactive mineral water from abandoned mining pits for healing treatments. This unusual approach to thermal bath therapy attracted patients from far away and remains a distinctive feature of the place today.
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