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History of Mining in the Skuteč Region till 1948
František KREJČÍ1
1 Historical Institute of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Hradec Králové, nám. Svobody 331, 500 02 Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
Abstract. The aim of the above-mentioned conference paper is to emphasize the important role of the provincial town of Skuteč, in the cadastral area of which there were many surface mines of minerals already in the 19th century, such as granite that served not only as valuable material in the construction of transport infrastructure in the former Austro-Hungarian Empire, but also subsequently produced granite blocks that were used in the 1890s for the pavement of Viennese streets. With regards to the timing of the submitted conference paper, apart from the historical facts relating to the chronological development of the mineral mining in the Skuteč region, the author includes additional facts directly related to the history of economic history, i.e. the mining technique, Fig. 1. Location of the town of Skuteč in the Czech Republic. explanation of the role of miners in mineral processing, and familiarization with the mineral fields situated in the Skuteč region at the foothills of the Iron Mountains. 2. Beginning of Mining and Use of Mineral Resources in Skuteč Region Keywords Mining and processing of minerals in the Skuteč region dates back to the 18th century. Above all, it was Mining industry; Skuteč region; economic history the mining of iron ore. In 1723, a charcoal furnace was built at a place called "Pec" situated between the villages of Rychnov and Pustá Kamenice. However, the stock of this 1. The town of Skuteč raw material was not sufficient, and therefore the mining was terminated soon. Further attempts to restore mining Administratively, the town of Skuteč falls into the were undertaken in the 1830s, namely at the instigation of Chrudim district, which is part of the southwestern area of the owner of the Rychmburk domain in which the Skuteč the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. At present, region belonged, Karel Alexandr Thurn Taxis. Jan the number of its inhabitants is around 5050. The Procházka carried out a preliminary survey in several settlement of the present town dates back to 1289, i.e. to locations in the regions of Hlinsko and Skuteč, however the the reign of Václav II. According to the preserved archival mining was terminated within two years for the lack of ore sources, the town's status of Skuteč was acquired only in deposits. Another attempt was made by the Skuteč’s about 1330 under the rule of Jan Lucemburský. In addition Association of St. Mary Magdalene after 1830, however, to mining, the shoe industry, later known under the brand without success again. name of BOTAS, was established in the town. Its tradition followed the original home-made shoe production in the In the years 1720–1874, limestone was processed 1860s. Among the most important Skuteč personalities around the village of Rychnov. At that time there were six ranks the composers Vítězslav Novák and Václav Jan functional lime kilns that supplied lime needed for building Tomášek, or the painter Gustav Porš. the near urban and rural houses. At the beginning of the 19th century, there were also the first attempts to mine hard coal near the villages Skutíčko, Doly, Štěpánov, Proseč and Perálec. In spite of the inefficiency of coal mining, from the 1820s to the 1870s, except for some breaks, there were a few companies and individuals who have been trying to mine coal, especially in the area of Skutíčko, but with scanty success. [1] 2 POSTER 2018, PRAGUE MAY 10
The then mayor of Hlinsko, Karel Adámek, was instrumental in designing the railway through Skuteč and Hlinsko. And the railroad has become the main "buyer" of stone and crushed stone, especially gravel for sluices, supporting walls, bridges, etc. [4] Sandy marlstone is much softer and therefore easier to process than granite, and that is why the first mention of its mining dates as back as to the Middle Ages. Due to its properties, it was used as the house building stone. The greatest development of the "white stone quarrying" took place in 1870–1910. One of the biggest sandy marlstone buyers was the builder František Šmoranc of Slatiňany, who used it to build houses in Chrudim and its surroundings. Sandy marlstone was processed and used for the construction and repairs of houses, churches, pavements, stairs, gutters, cattle troughs, and even Fig. 2. Rychmburk Castle as the administrative center of the Thurn Taxis family of the Rychmburk estate. washboards. [5]
2.1 Origin and Mineralogical Description 2.3 Development of Granite and Sandy of Granite and Sandy Marlstone Marlstone Quarries at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries till the end of WW2 To the north of the line dividing the Iron Mountains and the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands there is a huge At the beginning of the 1870s, Jan Baťa settled in granite massif, which is called the Skuteč-Nasavrky or Skuteč. He learned the stone mason craftsmanship in the Iron-Mountain pluton. It occupies the area of about Vienna. At first, he worked in the Holcův granite quarry in 210 km2. It is a complex magmatic body that is made up of the village of Prosetín. Then, he began to quarry stone in a number of volcanic rocks. They are commercially called Horky u Skutče. His first major work included the granite. Considering its origins, we can be infer that the columns adorning the entrance to the Skuteč cemetery. In granite massif, sometimes also called the Skuteč-Hlinsko- 1891, Viennese craftsmen came to the region, including Nasavrky massif, originated by solidification of granite Josef Heinz, who, together with Ing. Čihák from magma at the time of Variscan Orogeny. [2] Pardubice rented a quarry in Horky u Skutče, and became the first producers of cobblestones. Josef Heinz taught Sandy marlstone, also called "white stone", is found the local workers to produce the so-called Viennese on the south-eastern edge of the chalk plateau at the point cobblestones or "seven-inch stone", i.e. 18 cm of its contact with the Skuteč-Nasavrky massif in the cobblestones. For the need of Vienna, a cobble called the region Skuteč and Hlinsko. Sandy marlstone is "tram-stone" was also produced. This cobble was fitted undoubtedly softer than granite, and therefore its with grooves on both sides, so that the horses that pulled processing is easier. The beginning of its use dates back to the tram could duly push against it with their hooves. It was the Middle Ages, when it was used for construction of expected that these cobbles would be smoothed in 50–60 churches, residential houses, memorials, stairs, paving, years, and then the cobbles could just be turned over and cattle troughs, etc. [3] the second groove could serve for this same purpose again. [6] 2.2 Processing of Granite and Sandy After the end of the WW1 in 1918, there was again Marlstone in the Skuteč Region as for its use an increase both in the granite mining and in the production in the 19th century of gravel and cobblestones in connection with the economic revival of Czechoslovakia. This fact resulted The mining and processing of granite in the Skuteč primarily from the need to repair existing and to build region started approximately in 1868–1871, even though new state and county roads that were necessary for the granite had been also mined and processed to a limited expanding automotive industry. extent before. At the end of the 1930s there was an unprecedented At first, surface boulders were processed and used for boom in the mining industry thanks to the arrival of production of simple products, such as house thresholds, brothers J. and K. Jašek, who lost the quarries in Silesia tiles, cattle troughs, fence posts, and monuments. due to annexation of the border area after signing However, granite mining and processing later began on the Munich Agreement, and therefore they bought about a much larger scale. The main reason was the construction 12 hectares of land from the Švihov village for the purpose of the northwest railway Pardubice–Havlíčkův Brod, of granite mining. The company has generously invested in former German Brod. quarry machinery and equipment. POSTER 2018, PRAGUE MAY 10 3
In the years 1940–1941, the company employed 386 3.1 Žulolom Skuteč employees and it was one of the largest companies in the region. In 1938–1939, the largest employment in the Žulolom, the production folk cooperative Skuteč, was Skuteč region was reached. There were 76 quarries in founded in 1926 by stoneworkers and foremen from Skuteč operation employing 4576 workers. During the and its surroundings under the leadership of Jan Sahula occupation, the production was gradually reduced. Some of from Štěpánov. In total, eight founding members the Skuteč’s stonemasons experienced the hardships of deposited the amount of 25,000 CZK at the establishment German repression due to burning the village of Ležáky. of the cooperative, and started mining work on the site of Monuments made of the Skuteč and Hlinsko granite František Hruška in the locality "u Vrbiček" and in the were installed in the places of the Ležáky houses. After Leštinka granite quarry. The aforementioned amount was the liberation, the stone industry in Skuteč began to not high, but it was enough to start a business. However, it develop again. In 1948, most of the quarries were was not enough for the acquisition of machinery, and nationalized and incorporated into the newly-created therefore the mining took place manually for many Bohemian-Moravian stone industry national enterprise in years. The cooperative gradually found its place on the Havlíčkův Brod. [7] market and expanded its sales. The oldest figure on the number of employees relates to 1926, when 14 workers The mining of the sandy marlstone took place in the were employed there. In 1931, there were already village of Přibylov near Skuteč as early as at the end of 35 workers, and in 1933, there were even five more the 17th century. In 1830, stonemason master Rybička workers. In May 1942, the quarry was forcibly closed started to mine sandy marlstone in Přibylov behind his and flooded, but after the war, the production was restored. cottage house number 566. The greatest boom in mining Since it was a cooperative-based enterprise, it survived the took place in 1870–1910. For example, the Prokůpek’s nationalization and existed as a separate entity until Rock was one of the significant mining sites. Sandy 1960, when it was merged with the CEMKA production marlstone was mined by whole families, such as the cooperative in Vysoké Mýto. [9] Hrouzka, the Modráček or the Novotný family. The technical equipment of sandy marlstone quarries was much more modest compared to granite quarries. It was 3.2 Žulové lomy Skuteč mostly just manual work. [8] It was the biggest quarry company in the Skuteč region, which was at first owned by the Civic Savings Bank in Vysoké Mýto (later called the New Savings Bank in Vysoké Mýto). Prior the beginning of WW1, the company started running a business in the location where the granite mining development in Skuteč started, namely in Horky (formerly the Hein–Čihák quarry). After the end of WW1, at a time of complicated sales crisis, this quarry was sold to company Litické žulové lomy a továrna na stavivo, Ltd., Litice nad Orlicí. The business was moved to the areas behind Horky, namely to the Mikšov 1 and Mikšov 2 quarries, the former Pondělíček quarry and the Zvěřinov quarry. In 1901, the Žďárec railway station and the Mikšov and Zvěřinov quarries were connected with a narrow field Fig. 3. Workers working at a granite quarry (around 1910) – The Municipal Museum of Skuteč track, which made it easier for the workers to work, and in 1926, the track was replaced by a railway siding. The company dominant position in the Skuteč region is evidenced by the fact that it employed 360 workers in the 3. Brief Characterization of Skuteč region. In all its quarries worked as many as Companies: Žulolom Skuteč and 550 workers (1931). The production program of the Žulové lomy Skuteč company focused mainly on the production of gravel, and about one third of the mined raw material was used These were two important companies that dealt with for cobblestone cleaving. the mining and processing of granite primarily in the In 1931, Žulové lomy Skuteč was bought by the Skuteč region. The first one was based on the idea of company Čedičové podniky Košťálov, Ltd., Košťálov, and a folk cooperative with the highest number of the new established enterprise became the largest owner of 40 employed workers, whereas the Žulové lomy Skuteč quarries of genuine Skuteč granite and the Krkonoše was one of the most important enterprises in the foothills basalt. It owned 13 quarries in the area of Czechoslovakia during its period of operation. The 160 hectares. Due to a suitable location between the two company achieved highest level of employment in 1941, companies, the central office of the company was set up in when it employed 600 workers. Pardubice at Chrudimská Street no. 1. 4 POSTER 2018, PRAGUE MAY 10
The company equipment included railway siding and Gunpowder, used in rock blasting, was at first used suspension tracks into the quarries. In 1946, the company in crack explosive charges and later in borehole bursting owned 10 large crushing machines and employed 600 charges. The size adjustment of blasted blocks was done employees. The company production was varied. The with steel wedges that were inserted between two steel company produced various types of pavers, mosaics, curbs, sheets that split the block. The final processing of granite stone for road and water constructions, etc. Gravel, fine blocks was also done manually. Women employed in the crushed stone, and sand used in the road construction were quarry were mainly responsible for loading granite also produced. The annual production capacity was around products into the waiting wagons. In order to facilitate 120,000 m3 pavers of different sizes. The production of granite transport, a train siding to the nearby Žďárec u gravel and crushed stone was close to the annual Skutče was built. [11] production of pavers, i.e. 30,000 m3. A significant part of the production was the production of building stone. [10] References [1] FROLÍK, J. a kol: Historie a současnost podnikání na Chrudimsku. Žehušice, 2004, p. 124 –125. [2] MAIER, H.: 140 let průmyslové těžby kamene na Skutečsku a Hlinecku. In: Rozpravy Národního technického muzea v Praze. Studie z dějin hornictví, Praha 2007. p.42. [3] MAIER, H. Kamenoprůmysl na Skutečsku a Hlinecku. (scénář expozice). Hradec Králové–Skuteč, 2008. p.3. [4] MAIER, H.: Kamenoprůmysl na Skutečsku a Hlinecku. (scénář expozice). Hradec Králové–Skuteč, 2008. p.6. [5] MAIER, H.: 140 let průmyslové těžby kamene na Skutečsku a Hlinecku. In: Rozpravy Národního technického muzea v Praze. Studie z dějin hornictví, Praha 2007. p.42.
[6] VORÁČEK, E. a kol. Dějiny Skutče. Skuteč – Hradec Králové, 2011, Fig. 4. Women loading crushed granite – The Municipal p. 198–199 museum of Skuteč [7] MAIER, H.: Kamenoprůmysl na Skutečsku a Hlinecku. (scénář expozice). Hradec Králové–Skuteč, 2008. p. 12; 16. [8] FROLÍK, J. a kol: Historie a současnost podnikání na Chrudimsku. 4. Technique of Granite Processing Žehušice, 2004. p. 129 – 130. and Social Background of Workers [9] SOKA Chrudim. Žulolom, výrobní lidové družstvo Skuteč (1929– 1959) – nezpracováno At the time of the First Republic, most of the Skuteč [10] SOA Zámrsk. Žulové lomy Skuteč – Čedičové podniky Košťálov, quarries were well equipped technically. In the quarry area spol. s r. o., Košťálov (1925–1948) there was usually an administrative building where the quarry administrator and accountant had their offices. In [11] HÁJEK, V. Lomy (Lomařství I.). Praha, 1931, p. 21 – 22. the engine room, there were powerful compressors for the drive of drills and hammers, or compressors driving water pumps designed to exhaust the mine water. Other technical About Author equipment included crushers for gravel production, elevators, cranes, and other machines that partly replaced František KREJČÍ wedges, sledgehammers, crowbars, and other stonemason was born on 4 April 1991 in the village of Krouna, near the tools originally used by workers. A forge and a joiner’s town of Skuteč, where he attended the four-year Grammar workshop were set up for the maintenance of these tools, School of the Independent Order of the Knights of Malta. because despite the modernization in the processing of In the years of 2010 to 2016, he studied at the Faculty of granite, manual processing of granite was still the most Education of the Hradec Králové University, first in the frequently used technique. bachelor's and then master's study program History and the As for the machinery, we can also mention stone German language, focused on education. Since 2016 he has splitting machines which were gradually introduced into been an internal doctoral student at the Historical Institute the technical equipment of the quarries around 1910. For of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Hradec Králové their rest, the workers could use a wooden house which, specializing in the economic and social history of industrial however, usually served as the first-aid station. The and food-production companies in Eastern Bohemia. facilities for workers were gradually improving, also in view of the fact that larger companies used to set up dining rooms where the workers could have their lunch during lunchtime.