Could a mineshaft have multiple names? It sounds strange, but it’s true for this one, the Jáma Tragy. The Jáma Tragy wasn’t always called that. It went through a few names during its operation. From the intriguing “Tragy” to “Prago III” and finally “Antonín III”. Located in what was once a bustling mining area, the Jáma Tragy stands as a silent testament to the region’s industrial past.
The story of the Jáma Tragy began in 1897 when the Výhrad Privileged Company began its excavation. Imagine a massive pit, a perfect circle with a diameter of 4.4 meters, plunging deep into the earth. This was no ordinary hole in the ground. It was the Jáma Tragy, a mineshaft that would eventually reach a depth of 352.6 meters. To put that into perspective, that’s almost as tall as the Empire State Building! The Jáma Tragy wasn’t alone in its endeavor. It was connected on various levels to the nearby František Josef mine, forming a network of underground tunnels that extracted valuable coal.
Coal extraction from the Jáma Tragy began in 1901 and continued for 12 years until 1913. Between 1913 and 1918, both the Jáma Tragy and the František Josef mine underwent a major reconstruction. This transformation shifted the role of the Jáma Tragy. It transitioned from a primary extraction point to a support system for its neighbor, the František Josef mine. For decades, the Jáma Tragy faithfully served its purpose. In 1990, after almost a century of operation, the mineshaft closed. Two years later, it was filled in, erasing its physical presence from the landscape above. However, the story of the Jáma Tragy didn’t end there. A decade later, in 2002, the site underwent a final security measure. It serves as a reminder of the Jáma Tragy. Its legacy lives on as a silent monument to the industrial history of this region.