#Gold #mining #Šumava #Aktuálně.cz
Šumava is a treasure of Czech nature. And more literally than it seems at first glance. One of the largest gold deposits in the Czech Republic is hidden under its peaks. Its price, according to estimates, exceeds one hundred billion. Communists and miners from Canada wanted to carve it out in recent decades, and now the Ministry of the Environment is assessing other requests for exploration. But the locals refuse it. Our nature is more valuable, they say.
It is the warmest day of the year so far and the Šumava nature is slowly waking up to life. In the Amálina údolí nature reserve there is a romantic silence, the singing of birds is complemented only by the splashing of water in the deep bed of the local stream. “Sometimes people stand here in the summer and try to pan,” says Jan Voldřich, the mayor of the nearby Kašperské Hory.
It soon becomes clear why. If you follow the educational hiking trail here, every few tens of meters you come across the entrance to the bowels of the rocks in the gorge, which add to the fairytale impression of the Šumava protected landscape area. But it is not a cave created by nature. The corridors here remain from the time when gold was mined in the vicinity of the local landmark, Kašperk Castle.
“See that quartz over here? It was mostly hidden inside,” the mayor points to a white streak in the wall of one of the nameless tunnels, his voice echoing off the rocks. But you haven’t met a gold digger here for more than a hundred years. Instead of them, children used to come here to search.
There used to be gold in places like this. | Photo: Jakub Plíhal
The tunnel is inhabited only by a cluster of sleeping bats suspended from the ceiling. Unbeknownst to them, even today they are “guarding” a treasure under the Šumava hills, which is apparently not found anywhere else in the Czech Republic. Earlier estimates were about 120 tons of gold. Its price can be more than 130 billion crowns. Plus there are tons of tungsten worth billions more.
In recent decades, therefore, considerations have repeatedly arisen as to whether the reserves should not be mined. Whether it was the communists or later private companies, it was never possible to bring the plans to mining. To the delight of the locals. “Here in the Kašperské Hory, we’ve already said to ourselves several times that we’re done with it,” says Voldřich.
The area where the three companies are requesting exploration. | Photo: Jakub Plíhal
But then last fall came and people got restless again. The Ministry of the Environment received requests from three companies to determine exploration areas. The company Geomin and the state enterprise Diamo want to examine the area south of the Kašperské Hory, and the company Západočeská geologická wants to join the area around the nearby Ždánov. If the resort allows them, they can subsequently apply for a mining permit.
And that is a nightmare for local residents. They have been protesting against mining in the Šumava Protected Landscape Area through the association Šumava nad zlato for thirty years. “You know we’re scared. We’re shocked that it’s opened up again. The most important thing is the gold, the tungsten, but have you seen the nature around? It’s beautiful, isn’t it? And they would destroy it with that,” says one of the local women on the square.
“We thought it was over when they banned it here in the past. After all, the whole of Kašperky was sinking, as it was undermined here. So let them do it somewhere else,” adds another resident, who introduced herself as Martina. “People deal with it a lot here, they are especially worried about the environment,” adds a saleswoman from a local supermarket.
They have support in the city management. The representatives rejected the survey last December, and subsequently the region also supported them. “As a party to the proceedings, we expressed clear and unanimous disagreement with this plan,” Mayor Voldřich points out.
It took five centuries for nature to recover
At the same time, the Kašperské Hory owes what they are today to gold. The precious metal was already mined here by the Celts before Christ. It was rediscovered by settlers in the 13th century. The original settlement became an important mining town. Thanks to this, three churches and a Renaissance town hall with golden stucco can be found here today, although only 1,400 people live here.
The peak of mining was experienced during the time of the last Přemyslovians and Luxembourgers, after which it was mined here rather occasionally and with varying success. The last works ended in 1923. “Everything that could be extracted in a simple way was already extracted,” says the mayor.
But the richness of the local mountains was not forgotten. The state organization Geoindustria first conducted research here between 1982 and 1992. Then, between 1994 and 1996, the TVX Bohemia mining company, which was supported by Canadian miners. Later, other private companies sought to establish exploration sites, but the ministry rejected it.
In addition, it was found that mining would be very difficult. The gold that remains in the area is very finely dispersed in the rocks. There are only seven grams of gold per ton of rock. So there are no wide veins under the mountains, only scattered grains.
Historical map showing gold mining. | Photo: Jakub Plíhal
“For thirty years, we have been convinced that the possible economic benefit would not far outweigh the harm it would bring. On the environment, on the character of the landscape, on the overall atmosphere,” says Voldřich.
“One of the exploratory areas is designed in a locality where we have a source of drinking water. So there is a risk that although we will have gold, we will lose the most valuable raw material for us,” he adds. In addition, according to him, there is a risk that the water will be polluted by arsenic, which, in addition to gold and tungsten, is hidden in rocks.
“Mining would probably also require the construction of roads, embankments, and tailings. In addition, it would also bring an extreme load of dust and traffic, effectively devastation of the landscape. 600 years ago, intensive gold mining took place in the Amálina Valley, and it took five centuries for nature to she packed it back again. We don’t want to go through it again,” says the mayor.
One of the former tunnels. This one is partially flooded. | Photo: Jakub Plíhal
He shares this opinion with the Administration of the Šumava National Park. According to her, exploration and mining near the Kašperské Hory are in conflict with key documents, i.e. the state environmental policy and the valid care plan for the protected landscape area. “The administration is convinced that the request cannot be granted, because the interest in the exploration and subsequent use of the exclusive deposit does not exceed the public interest in the protection of nature and the landscape,” said its spokesperson Jan Dvořák.
In the case of the exploratory area, Ždánov points out that the site is only about half a kilometer from a protected landscape area and a location of European importance, and mining would directly affect these places.
The ministry will decide in the coming weeks
It is not yet clear how the ministry will deal with the requests. “The Ministry of the Environment registers the submission of applications from several organizations for the determination of exploration areas on the gold and tungsten deposits near the Kašperské Hory as well as on the forecast sources of these minerals in the vicinity. The administrative body does not comment in detail on the ongoing administrative proceedings,” department spokeswoman Veronika told Aktuálně.cz Tailor. However, she added that they have already collected the necessary documents and should make a decision in the coming weeks.
When asked by Aktuálně.cz, the state enterprise Diamo stated that it does not seek mining in the area. He entered the competition because the government imposes on him the acquisition of direct control over the defense of the state’s interests in the acquisition of deposits of strategic mineral resources. “Diamo’s only task is to use its knowledge from research on the separation of gold-bearing ores, which is currently underway in the Diamo Zlaté Hora exploration area,” said company spokeswoman Hana Volfová.
The company Geomin did not respond to the questions sent by the publication of the article. Since the 1990s, the company has continued the activities of the former state enterprise Geoindustria. In the past, she investigated, for example, the ecological impacts of gold and platinum mining in Colombia or assessed deposits of precious metals in Tanzania.
Even the company Západočeská geologická did not comment on the mining after sending questions. It was established only in 2019. It falls under the GES Asset Management holding of billionaire Ivan Zach, among others the owner of Prima television. This also includes the company Agro Pošumaví, which owns several plots of land in the vicinity of the Kašperské Hory. Among other things, also in the area covered by the planned survey.
According to mayor Voldřich, there is no possibility that the ministry would allow the survey. Together with the national park, he would like to convince the state to accept the decision that there will be no mining near the Kašperské Hory in the next fifty years. “Those who come after us can then evaluate it again. But we don’t want to deal with it here every five years,” he says.
And he communicates his plan. He wants to open the tunnels. But not for miners, but for tourists. “We are trying to follow the path of sustainable development, to develop tourism. Not to close it here for fifty years and say that no one can come here,” adds Voldřich.
Kašperk Castle, the main tourist destination in the area. | Photo: Jakub Plíhal
