Museum specialized in gold.
The museum, initially urban, was founded in 1891 by the Jilovian citizen Leopold Čihák, who donated his own collection of documents and three-dimensional objects to the town for this purpose. The House of Coins, in which the museum resides, is one of the four oldest buildings in the town. By 1420, the upper office was located here. Mining in the vicinity of the town was controlled from here, and urbura was also chosen here - a tax on the extracted gold belonging to the monarch. It became famous also for its well-known owners, such as the court alchemist of Emperor Rudolph II, Edward Kelley.
The museum is focused on gold and its history in the Czech Republic. The exhibition The History of Gold Mining and Processing will guide you through the history of the craft in the Czech Republic as well as in the world. It shows gold in different sectors of human activity. There are two other permanent exhibitions - Ora et Labora, and Tramping and the nature of the Lower Posázaví in the museum.
By October you can also take a tour of St. Joseph, St. Anthony of Padua, and the Halíře Tunnel.
Museum tunnels
The museum operates three tunnels/adits [JV1] for gold; only 2 tunnels in Dolní Studený were used for mining. Halíře are reconnaissance tunnels from the 20th century, and represents one of the most important legacies of our cultural heritage. The galleries are located in the picturesque surroundings of the town, 2 of them (the St Joseph's adit and the St. Anthony of Padua adit) on marked hiking trails and the "Jílovice Gold Mines" nature trail.
St. Joseph's Tunnel
It introduces the oldest gold mining from the pre-Hussite period. The visitor circuit shows a typical medieval mine excavated with „iron“ and a threshing machine. The route leads in oblique profiles and shows old quarries, crossings, or flooded cave-ins.
St. Anthony of Padua's Tunnel
Most recently used in [JV2] 1753 - 1754. The accessible part runs in two levels, connected by a ladder system in a bow chimney. The gallery is not electrified, so visitors get mine lamps. The tunnel tour is certainly one of the most remarkable tourist experiences.
Halíře Tunnel
A modern 270 m long tunnel with four tracks presents a remnant of extensive exploration work carried out in the Jílov district in the second half of the 20th century. It is the only one which is wheelchair accesible.
Photo source: Posázaví, (CC BY-SA 3.0)
