Mining Museum Příbram

The Mining Museum in Příbram ranks among the largest technical museums in the Czech Republic and one of the largest mining museums in Europe. It sits in Příbram, a town whose identity was shaped for centuries by silver and lead mining. Its collections trace back to the 19th century, when the first exhibits were made accessible to the public in 1852, before the museum itself was formally established in 1886 by the local silver and lead mining works.

What will you see?

The museum's exhibition is spread across several distinct sites in and around the town, built around a group of historic mine shafts, each with its own story:

• Ševčín Shaft – sunk in 1813 on the site of an older 16th-century mine
• Vojtěch Mine – founded in 1779
• Anna Mine – operating since 1789
• Drkolnov Mine underground areas – dating to 1836

Beyond the shafts themselves, the museum holds extensive collections tied to the region's mining past: archaeological finds from the Celtic period, medieval and modern mining tools, mineral and ore collections gathered from the Příbram ore district, miners' uniforms and ceremonial banners, scale models of the shafts, and old mining maps and official documents. A separate strand of the collection preserves folk traditions and artistic works created by the miners themselves — a culture deeply rooted in this region.

Visitors get more than display cases to look at. A ride on a heritage mine train is part of the experience, along with a look down into the Prokop shaft, which plunges roughly 1,600 meters, and a walk through the centuries-old underground workings of the Anna mine. Younger visitors tend to gravitate toward the more than 50-meter slide in the Drkolnov underground section and the 12-meter water wheel that once powered mining equipment on site.

How to get there?

The museum is located directly in Příbram, a town in Central Bohemia roughly an hour's drive or train ride southwest of Prague. Because the exhibitions are spread across several locations around town, it's worth planning your route in advance and wearing sturdy footwear — part of the visit takes you underground, over the uneven surfaces of the original workings.

When to visit?

The underground sections — especially the mine train ride and the Drkolnov slide — are most comfortably visited in the summer season, when all facilities are fully open and queues tend to be shorter than on peak-season weekends. Keep in mind that underground temperatures stay low and constant year-round, so a warmer layer is worth packing no matter when you go.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need to be in good physical shape to visit the museum? No, the routes are designed for visitors of different ages, though descending into the Anna and Drkolnov underground sections does involve stairs and uneven ground.

How long does a full visit take? Since the exhibits are spread across several separate sites, it's worth setting aside at least half a day if you want to see all the main attractions.

Is the museum suitable for children? Yes — the slide in the Drkolnov underground section and the mine train ride are among the attractions children enjoy most.

What is the museum's biggest draw? The combination of authentic historic mine workings — including the deep Prokop shaft — with the museum's extensive collections makes the Mining Museum in Příbram one of the most comprehensive sites of its kind in Europe.