Jan Antonín Alis (1732-1801)

Mountaineer and metallurgist, upper council. He was born on 11 January 1732 in Vysoká Pec near Příbram. He was one of the most important specialists in the mining business in Bohemia in the second half of the 18th century. After graduating from the mining apprenticeship in Jáchymov, he first became a trainee at the Březohorské mining plant in Příbram in 1750, then in 1755 he was appointed shift master and later hutmaster in Kutná Hora. After 1770, he was sent to Ostrava, where he made the first verified and localized discovery of coal.

At a time of deep decline and protracted crisis of mining in the Příbram region, he was called to solve these problems. He soon celebrated success by applying his methods. In 1772, in his capacity as hormeister and hutmeister, he became a pioneer of underground mining in the Březohorské silver ore district. For his project, he chose sites that had been affected by mining practices since the Middle Ages. According to his design, the Vojtěch mine, originally called Nová jáma, was established in Příbram in the Březové Hory area in 1779.

In the 1880s a new ore processing plant was built here according to Alis' plans, equipped with the most modern technical equipment for that time. In 1789, he was at the opening of the Anna mine in Příbram. These mines have made their mark in the history of European and world mining with several firsts (the Vojtěch mine reached a vertical depth of 1 000 m for the first time in the world in 1875, the Anna mine became the deepest in Europe in the 1930s, steam engines were used in these mines for the first time in the orefields of Austria, etc.).

In 1786, on the initiative of J. A. Alis, a new silver smelter was built in Příbram and put into operation in 1793. He also designed an efficient and effective pumping and mining system, as well as the drainage of the entire district. During his time in the Příbram region, he had a wide range of deposits explored. He was appointed Mining Councillor for his successful efforts to avert the previous crisis and for his effective efforts to develop the Pribram mining business. By virtue of his position he also supervised the mines in Jílové u Prahy and Nový Knín in Central Bohemia, in Kašperské Hory in the west of the country and elsewhere. Thanks to his efforts, the Březá Hora district became one of the most important in Europe and the world in the 19th century. In 1801, shortly after his retirement, he died and was buried in the cemetery in Příbram. The square in Příbram was named in his honour.

He was one of the leading experts in the mining business in Bohemia in the 18th century. His work is significantly connected with the Central Bohemia region (Kutná Hora, Příbram, Jílov, etc.). It was mainly thanks to his efforts that the Březohorský district in Příbram emerged from the previous deep crisis and became one of the most important in Europe and the world in the 19th century, when around 90% of the silver and lead reserves in the whole of the Austro-Hungarian Empire were mined there.

He died on 19 September 1801 in Příbram.

Text: Josef Velfl, Director of the Mining Museum Příbram