The Mining Museum in Planá

The Ondřej Šlik adit, in which the museum is located, was dug at the end of the 16th century at the time of the greatest boom in silver ore mining in Planá and its surroundings. The upsurge and importance of the town is also evidenced by the fact that the then owners of the estate, the Šlik family, had their own mint in Planá. Today, the entire labyrinth of corridors is open to the public, where you can see a large number of exhibits that look very authentic thanks to the dark atmosphere underground.

The museum is located close to the historic centre of the town, under the hill with the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. The entrance lies on the marked tourist path leading from the square towards the railway station. The location of the museum is very attractive for the visitor. It is located in an adit which the museum operator – the Mining and Historical Association – named “Štola Ondřej Šlik”. It is in honour of an important member of this family, who was among the Bohemian and Moravian lords executed in the Old Town Square in 1621. The Šlik family owned Planá from 1517 to 1665, a time when mining of many metals, such as silver, copper, lead, as well as cobalt and nickel, flourished in the vicinity of Planá. Thanks to the extension of the mining rights in 1627, the Šlik family was able to mint silver coins in Planá.

The adit in which the museum is located is almost 200 metres long. The approximately one-hour tour will present exhibits from the ancient history of mining as well as current or recently decommissioned mining technology. It will also take us through the history of mining in the area until the recent past, when uranium was also mined in the vicinity of Planá, in the deposits of Zadní Chodov, Vítkov II and Dyleň. Mining here ceased at the beginning of the 1990s. The former workers from these mines are also the guides of the exhibition, whose professional interpretation is very impressive, comprehensive and informative.