Příbram

The first written mention of Příbram is from 1216, when the nobleman Hroznata of Teplá sold Příbram to Ondřej, bishop of Prague. Soon the settlement became a market town with a church. Příbram was devastated during the disturbances in the second half of the 13th century. The Bishopric of Prague invited new settlers to the market town and a period of prosperity began.[3]

The castle in Příbram was built by order of Archbishop Arnošt of Pardubice. New villages were founded in the vicinity of Příbram, and were administered from the castle. In the 15th century, the majority of the population was Czech, but there were also Germans who came to the area around the market town to mine silver. During the Hussite Wars (1419–1434), Příbram stood on the reformation side. After the war, it ceased to be church property and was acquired by the king, who pledged it to his creditors. However, the temporary administrators were not interested in the development of the market town, which meant a gradual decline.[3] In 1497, Příbram was promoted to a town by Vladislaus II.[4]

Ševčínský mine – mining tower

At the beginning of the 16th century, silver mining began to develop and the mining settlement Březové Hory was established. In the mid-16th century, the mining declined. This lasted until 1579, when Rudolf II promoted Příbram to the royal mining town. Since then, the town of Příbram prospered, but the settlement of Březová Hora remained insignificant.[3]

The Thirty Years' War had a large impact on Příbram, lowering the population and causing violent recatholicization that was supported by the growing importance of Svatá Hora, nearby the pilgrimage site. The town did not recover until the end of the 17th century, when iron ore mining developed.[3]

Silver mining continued but was not very profitable, so Příbram gave up the majority of its mining profit share over in favor of central government in Vienna. This turned out to be a mistake, as in the 18th century Příbram became the site of the most profitable silver mining in the entire Habsburg monarchy. The town became the seat of the central mining institutions and, in the mid-19th century, also the mining academy. Peak prosperity lasted until the 1880s, after which it stagnated until the end of the 19th century. In 1897, Březové Hory was promoted to a royal mining town. The importance of Příbram mines declined after 1900, but the town's reputation as the educational and cultural centre remained high.[3]

In the 1920s, uranite mining developed and the prosperity of the town started again.[3]

Region with strong partisan resistance was around Příbram during World War II. Several prominent citizens participated in the resistance, and many were killed by Nazi occupiers. Student Antonín Stočes, his father, and Příbram's gymnasium director Josef Lukeš were executed in Tábor in 1942 following the assassination of Reichsprotektor Reinhard Heydrich. Their story was idealized in Jan Drda's fiction Higher Principle.

In 1953, the towns of Příbram and Březové Hory were merged.[5]

The last epoch of Příbram mining occurred since the 1950s, when the district was opened again for uranite mining and several mines around the town were opened. The industry was included into a program of penal labour that Communist Czechoslovak government used for persecution of regime objectors. Labor camps Příbram-Vojna and Příbram-Brody were run there in 1949–1951, holding up to 800 detainees.[6] In 1976 and in 1980, many surrounding municipalities were annexed to Příbram, increasing the total population to more than 35,000 citizens.[7]

Located near to the Brdy military area, Příbram was an important locality during the 1968 Occupation of Czechoslovakia by the Warsaw Pact forces. The army command in Příbram was labeled a "focus of contrarevolution" in the Czechoslovak Army, as it did not cooperate the occupation forces and harbored the Czechoslovak Television during its independent broadcasting. The rioting of Příbram-Bytíz crime prisoners and the strike of Příbram miners were the other major events related to the August 1968 invasion.

The 1989 Velvet Revolution influenced Příbram significantly. Large mining enterprises, old silver and lead mines as well as modern uranium ore mines, were closed, but new opportunities opened up for the town and the economy diversified.[3]

Dyscrasite specimen from a uranium mine near Příbram

Mining education in Příbram dates from the beginning of the 19th century. The School of Mines was founded in 1851 and it was changed to Mining Academy in 1865. It was then the only mining educational institution in the Czech lands. The academy struggled in the shadow of Leoben academy, which repeatedly obtained its privileges in advance.

Important professors and lecturers of this era include:

• Geologist František Pošepný: one of the most important educators in the 19th century and of all the school's history;
• Mine surveyor (German: Markscheider) Gustav Ziegelheim: Professor for mining, ore processing and mine surveying as of 1882, Director of the School of Mines in 1883–1885 and in 1889–1895.[15]

In 1894, the academy received its university status decree and A. Hoffmann was elected the first chancellor of the university in 1898.

At the beginning of the 20th century the national conflicts lead to attempts to move Leoben academy to Vienna, while the Příbram school should have been dissolved. Long proceedings and the fact, that three quarters of the mining production of the Austria-Hungary was provided by the mines in the Czech lands, resulted in keeping both mining schools (Leoben and Příbram) alive. In 1904 both Leoben and Příbram institutions were renamed Mining Academy (Czech: Vysoká škola báňská) with Josef Theurer as the first chancellor.

The university started with 11 departments, but the number grew to 18 in 1924. The university had the right to name doctors of mining sciences (dr. mont.). The highest number of students was almost 500 in 1921, but in the late 1930s the number fell to 120.

The position of the institution changed basically after arousal of Czechoslovakia in 1918, one year later the Czech language became the official language of the university. Many attempts to move it out of Příbram recurred, several of them initiated from the university itself, but they were refused.

World War II and the closure of Czech universities interrupted the work of the institution, which was resumed in 1945. The university was however moved to Ostrava within few months to bring the education closer to the booming mining industry in the Ostrava region. The last mining university students left Příbram in 1946 summer.[16]

The landmark of Příbram and the most valuable monument is Svatá Hora (literally "Holy Mountain"). It is the oldest and most important Marian pilgrimage site in Bohemia, protected as a national cultural monument. It consists of a Baroque monastery complex, cloisters and chapels. The cult of the statue of Saint Mary of Svatá Hora began in the 14th century, when, according to legend, it was carved by Bishop Arnošt of Pardubice himself. In 1647, a chapel on the hill Svatá hora was acquired by the Jesuits, who had rebuilt it to a magnificent temple in 1658–1675. This Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary of Svatá Hora was built according to the design of the architects Carlo Lurago and Benjamin Schleyer, and decorated by Jan Brokoff, Petr Brandl and other famous artists. Next to the basilica is a Baroque residence. The complex is connected to the town by a 450 m (1,480 ft) long staircase from 1685, which was roofed in 1727–1728, and Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer also participated in the final form.[4][17]

Zámeček-Ernestinum

The landmark of the town centre is the Church of Saint James the Great. It is originally a Gothic building the first half of the 13th century, and is the oldest monument in Příbram. It was rebuilt several times, most notably in the Baroque style in the 18th century. The current form of the church dates from 1869, when the tower acquired four side Neo-Gothic turrets. The most valuable interior decoration includes two wood carvings by Ignác František Platzer and a tin baptismal font from 1511.[18]

Zámeček-Ernestinum is one of the most important historical buildings in Příbram. It was originally a wooden fort, rebuilt into a small stone castle in the mid-14th century, which served as the archbishop's residence. The building was damaged in the Hussite Wars and in the Thirty Years' War, and many inappropriate construction modifications were made. Therefore, only the Gothic bay window of the chapel with a ribbed vault and a few other elements have survived to this day. Today it serves cultural and social purposes. It houses the Gallery of František Drtikol, Museum of the Anti-communist Resistance, and offices.[19]

The Town Hall is a Neo-Renaissance building from 1889–1891, designed by architect Vojtěch Ignác Ullmann.[20] The second notable building designed by Ullmann is the Neo-Renaissance dormitory from 1892.[21]

Church of Saint Adalbert

The Mining Museum Příbram was founded in 1886. It is the biggest mining museum in the Czech Republic. It contains five objects of historical mines with old headstock, miner's house, drift with a mining train, exhibition of mining history, geological collection and others. the museum also operates several other exhibitions around the town.[22]

The Church of Saint Adalbert is the landmark of the main square in Březové Hory. It was built mostly in the Neo-Renaissance style, but it also has Neo-Baroque and Neo-Romanesque elements. It dates from 1889.[23]

The Church of Saint Procopius was originally a chapel from 1732, which replaced a wooden bell tower from the 16th century. In 1879, most the chapel was demolished and replaced by the current pseudo-Romanesque church.[24]

The youngest ecclesiastical building is the temple of the Czechoslovak Hussite Church in memory of Master Jacob of Mies. It dates from 1936. It has a 30 m (98 ft) high tower, which also serves as an observation tower open to the public.[25]

The House of Culture was designed by Václav Hilský and was built in the modern Neoclassical style in 1957–1959. The building is protected as a cultural monument. It also houses the Antonín Dvořák Theatre.[26]