Zlatokopecký skanzen

Useful Information

Location:	Ondřejovice 281, 793 76 Zlaté Hory v Jeseníkách. (50.2537709, 17.3663138)
Open:	MAY to JUN daily 10-17. JUL to AUG daily 10-18. SEP Tue-Sun 10-17. OCT Tue-Sun 10-16. [2025]
Fee:	Adults CZK 100, Children (6-15) CZK 50, Children (0-5) free. [2025]
Classification:	Gold Placer Mining
Light:	Incandescent
Dimension:
Guided tours:
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Zlatokopecký skanzen, Ondřejovice 281, 793 76 Zlaté Hory v Jeseníkách, Tel: +420-588-884-618. skanzen@krajpokladu.cz
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1524	Bishop Jakub of Salza introduces a new mining law allowing peasants to dig for gold.
1993	gold panning competition founded at Zlaté Hory.
1996	European Championship in gold panning takes place here.
2010	World Championship in gold panning takes place here.
2024	partly destroyed by a flood and still undergoing renovation.

Geology

The gold was obviously eroded somewhere else and transported by the water of the river. The sediment was deposited by the river together with the gold, which is inert and thus not dissolved. In other words, the weathering destroys the rocks but not the gold. The placer deposits in the loose sediments where mined by gold washing, which separated the rock and the gold due to the different specific weight.

Description

This site is named Zlatokopecký skanzen (Gold Mining Open-Air Museum) which is actually not a proper name, it’s a description. The site is located between Zlaté Hory and the village Ondřejovice in the forest at a small river. The river is of importance, it powers the Zlatorudné mlýny (Golden Red Mills), two reconstructed wooden mills. The site is a small park with open air museum, ticket office, restaurant and a sort of amphitheatre which is used for events. There is ample parking.

The site shows replicas of medieval mining mills for the crushing of gold ore. Both wooden buildings were reconstructed from period drawings. They are powered by water wheels, which are on the original location and feed by water from the historic canal. The gold bearing sediments were mined on the slope above the Olešnice river on the right side. The water mills pumped the water of the river to the loose sediment which were then flooded down as it is typical for placer mining.

The museum also has a furnace building, the smelter is outside though. It is called Tavící pec (Melting furnace). Indoor there are hand-operated bellows made of wood and leather, which were used to blow air into the smelting furnace. There is also a storage space for the charcoal.

Hornická osada (Mining settlement) is not really a settlement, it is a replica of a wooden miner’s cabin, which has an outdoor living space and an indoor space. Once, during the 14th century, there was a fortified settlement with a wall and watchtowers, one of them was also reconstructed. It seems the valuable gold also created some greed and violence.