Jílové u Prahy

The medieval gold town of Bohemia — centuries of mining under and around the town, a museum devoted to gold, and visitable mine galleries in the wooded valleys nearby.

Jílové u Prahy sits on what was the richest gold district of medieval Bohemia: the town mined the veins beneath it from the 13th century, paid for Charles IV’s ambitions, and kept digging on and off into the 20th century. The regional museum on the square tells the story of Czech gold, and three of the old galleries in the wooded valleys around town — including the St Josef and Halíře adits — are open to visitors in season. For walkers the town is a practical node: the railway to Prague runs along the famous Posázaví line, and marked trails radiate into the Sázava valley.