Mertova díra, Mining adit in Slavoňov, Czech Republic

Mertova díra is a mining adit in Slavoňov with an entrance measuring about 1.2 meters wide and tall, positioned perpendicular to the Bohdasin stream near water level. The opening provides access to a tunnel system cut into the hillside.

The adit dates from a period when the region was explored for silver deposits. In the 1780s, mining specialists from Kutná Hora examined the tunnel and found traces of silver ore in the rock.

The name comes from farmer Merta of Blažkov, who according to legend found silver ore, kept the find secret and mined and sold it. Behind the grating stood a figurine of a permoník, a mining spirit; it has since been replaced by a figurine of farmer Merta.

The adit is gated and not open to visitors; the passage, no wider or taller than 1.2 metres, can only be entered crouching or on hands and knees. It runs perpendicular to the Bohdašín stream, about two metres above the water, and slopes down so that the water gets deeper further in. View it from the bank outside the grating.

The adit is only 1.2 metres wide and high, so it can be entered only in a crouch or on hands and knees. Behind the grating stood a miner figurine, now replaced by a figure of farmer Merta. The passage runs straight for 50 metres, then drops for four metres to an irregular face.