7. May 2026

More than twelve hundred participants are expected to come to the mining festival, which will take place in Příbram from 12 to 14 June. The town will host two major events. The 30th Jubilee Meeting of Mining Towns and Municipalities of the Czech Republic is returning for the fourth time, having already held its first edition in 1997, as well as the tenth and twentieth annual meetings. The 19th European Day of Miners and Metallurgists will have an international dimension. This year also marks the 810th anniversary of the first written mention of Příbram. The important events will be accompanied by a number of official activities of the town, and especially a cultural and social programme for the public.

"While high school students will be members of the implementation team, children from Pribram's primary and kindergarten schools will create artwork and will also take part in the festive parades dressed up as permoniacs, just as they did ten years ago during the 800th anniversary celebrations. This year, our mining history will be talked about more in schools and kindergartens," said the mayor of Příbram, Jan Konvalinka.

Concerts in the squares, parades in the streets

In addition to the official parts of the programme, when members of mining organisations will meet representatives of the town, the weekend will be filled with concerts by well-known names from the national and Pribram music scene. On Friday, 17 November Square will welcome the singer-songwriter Pokáč, the singer Lenny and the band Mňága a Žďorp. On Saturday it will be danced by musician Vojtaano and local legend Špejbl´s Helprs. From the stage on J. A. Alise Square, fans will be greeted on Friday by Idol from the Boat, Jazz Faces and Malibu. Saturday's concert series will be kicked off by Příbramský Blues Band on Březohorské náměstí, followed by Ginevra, Michal Prokop, Vanessa Harbek and the finale will belong to the punk band E!E. The musical programme will also include performances by mining bands, which will play on both days in the Marie Mine area. Visitors can also look forward to the programme of the event's partners - Kovohutí, DIAMO, Euro Sitex and CVP Galvanika.

On Friday evening, the first of the miners' parades will pass through the town - the Little Miners' Parade with the participation of bands, light bearers and miners' associations in costumes. The so called "squatting" will go from the House of Culture, through the 17th November Square to the Marie Mine. After the miners' mass on Svatá Hora, Saturday's Great Miners' Parade will lead through the old part of Příbram, through Hrabákova Street and Jirásek's Orchards to T. G. Masaryk Square. The route of the last of the parades, which is scheduled for Saturday afternoon, leads from the Ševčinský mine to the Anna mine.

We live by mining

On Saturday, all areas of the Mining Museum Příbram will be open, which will build a medieval mining village in the Anna Mine area for the occasion, where visitors will learn about traditional crafts and gold panning. A new exhibition entitled From the History of Příbram and Mining Activities in the Works of Jan Čaka will also be open at Anna, and pupils from the Březové Hory Primary School will perform a theatre play on a mining theme. Throughout Saturday, children will be entertained by activities organised by the Příbram House for Children and Youth at the Marie Mine.

The event will include an award ceremony for those who keep mining alive. The Czech Permon Awards are given to personalities and institutions that have made a significant contribution to the preservation and development of mining traditions in the Czech Republic. The Association of Mining and Metallurgical Associations of the Czech Republic announces them in five categories: mining folklore, preservation of technical monuments, greatest achievement of the year, lifetime achievement and extraordinary prize. The Permon statuettes on a bell-shaped pedestal - a symbol of mining craftsmanship and traditions - will be presented on Saturday at the Church of St Vojtěch in Březové Hory.

Stanislav D. Břeň