The silver mining and processing complex in the Vrbické Hory area, 9.5 km NNW of Světlá nad Sázavou was one of the most important early modern period mining sites in the Czech-Moravian Highlands. The deposit, mined in two stages from 1547 to the early 1590s, provided several hundred kilograms of the precious metal. The stopes, which extended to a depth of approx. 80 m, ran along three principal vein zones, partly drained through hereditary adits, with further prospecting work in the area. The mined ore was smelted on site; mineral processing and metallurgical plants could take advantage of the energy system of the reservoirs on the nearby watercourses, and two mining settlements appeared by the mines. The mining was funded by numerous investors from Bohemia and Germany (burghers, nobles, officials, mining and coin experts). However, there was also significant involvement on the part of the landed nobility: the frequently alternating owners of the land on which mines were situated included the ruler, imperial princes, higher- and lower-ranking nobles and wealthy burghers. However, mining was complicated by the area’s position on the boundaries of several estates and interference from landowners, disagreements amongst miners and persistent drainage problems. This study, based on the latest field prospecting surveys and revision of the available written sources summarises our existing knowledge and highlights the potential for further research., Jiří Doležel., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Later than in the wet of Europe, it was only in the course of the 12th century that the water wheel caught on in Bohemia and Moravia. At the same time hand-powered mills were still requently being used. Until the end of the 12th century most water mills as well as water courses were the property of princes, so permission to run an existing mil or to build a new one had to be granted. The location, design of and technology used in mediaeval mills in our vicinity have not been archaeologically researched. The hypotheritcal appearance of such mills and what equipment they had can be modelled based on the results of research abroad, since similar structures might also have been in use in mediaeval Bohemia and Moravia., Lucie Galusová, Martina Maříková., and Obsahuje seznam literatury