Komárov
Iron hearth of Austro-Hungarian Empire
The crafts that have made the region around Brdy mountains famous were born from two major branches of human activity. In addition to the mining and processing of silver, lead and other polymetallic ores, it was mainly the production of iron - until the beginning of the 19th century Podbrdsko was the main iron-producing area in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Although the first evidence of iron production in Podbrdsko dates back to the Iron Age, it was not until the 14th century that the Podbrdsko iron industry really developed.
During the 17th century, the whole Podbrdsko region gradually turned to iron production. Blast furnaces were built intensively, ponds and smelters were built, and more iron ore deposits were sought. At the beginning of the 19th century, four blast furnaces were in operation in Komárov, and in a single year almost 12,000 tonnes of iron ore were extracted and over 2,000 pieces of pig iron were produced.
The blast furnaces opened the door to two new industries - artistic foundry and the production of cast iron products.
The Ironworks and Foundry Museum shows the history of the iron industry in the area and artistic cast iron products.