The Ore Mountains Mining Area in Bohemia: A Reservoir of Silver Resources in Central Europe in the Sixteenth Century

Abstract

This study of the bohemian Ore Mountains illustrates the stranglehold of wealthy German entrepreneurs (the Welser, Höchtstetter, Fugger, Nutzel, etc.) on the mineral resources of the Ore Mountains (Erzgebirge, Krušné hory) in Bohemia in the sixteenth century, at the expense of the local population. The German commercial firms were the only ones in the region with sufficient capital to invest in the development of Bohemian mines. They had control over a large part of the ore production, which was sent to dynamic north-western European markets. The income generated by the extraction remained temporary for the local population and limited to the time of extraction, which is characteristic of a peripheral economy. The environmental footprint of the mining and the size of the hinterland necessary to supply the mines were much more extensive. Forest overexploitation was caused by the unreasonable extraction of ore, which reduced and depleted forest cover. The lifestyle of populations and the development of local industries were damaged by the pollution of land, forest or fish resources, or the construction of gigantic hydraulic installations to facilitate the floating of wood. The archaeological research results and paleo-environmental studies mobilised in this study testify to this alteration of the environment. Mining statutes were not compelling enough to moderate the ecological footprint of extraction. However, mining laws and scholarly writings, such as Agricola's De Re Metallica in 1556, show the awareness of authorities and scholars of the dangers of mining activities.