First Gold Mining

The first mining undertaking probably took place during the Celtic period. From what legend says, it was in the year 942 that Prince Boleslav sent miners to the mountains in the surrounding area of Boubin close to Cizova so they would mine for gold. There are archaeological finds from the thirteenth century that were documented at the oldest existing gold mine which is the Havirka located close to Pisek which is in the Sumava area. The tunnels were hand-driven during the Middle Ages. The most important tools that were used were the cutter and the sledge. Throughout a six-hour shift the miners extracted approximately a cubic meter of rock.

The ore was then taken out in wooden hods, leather bags or baskets; later on they were carried out by trolleys and hand barrows and later on in the beginning modern periods by mine cars. If the miners were to be successful it was important for them to have an adequate amount of lighting since they were only able to use their eyes in order to make out the lighter auriferous quartz from the darker parent rock. After awhile mine lighting fixtures were invented from tallow lamps made of clay with a hole for the miner's finger and later on petroleum, carbide and electric mine lamp came into the picture.

There were a couple types of methods for extraction. The first one, which was the one that was used the most, had to do with the sinking of a vertical shaft on rather flat ground where the auriferous quartz was found at the surface and following the gold veins at a depth of four to six meters. This technique has left behind some distinctive remnants that can be seen in the form of craters.

Another technique or method was used on the hillsides with protruding ore mineralization where the miners dug shafts or whole galleries with pillars that were thirty to fifty meters in depth. The waste rock was discarded by the openings of the shaft. In the area of the Ore Mountains there were a great number of shafts of both types. In the present day there are some leftovers of the modern history of mining in Roudny close to Vlasim where mining occured in 1893 to 1930.