Uranium Legends: Film Screening and Q&A with Filmmakers

After World War II, Northern Bohemia became a landscape of radical transformation. The once idyllic periphery between Stráž pod Ralskem and Hamr grew into a center of heavy industry, experimentation, and military secrecy.

The discovery of one of the largest uranium deposits in Czechoslovakia in the 1960s sparked a new uranium rush, and the North Bohemian Klondike was born. Thousands of people came to the region seeking money, work, and a new identity. The miner became a hero, uranium a symbol of "peace," while all extraction was destined for the Soviet Union.

New housing estates, mines, and chemical plants were built, and local society became divided between long-term residents and the privileged uranium elite. Yet, beneath the surface, a high price was being paid—the risk of radiation, extreme working conditions, and extensive environmental damage. Chemical extraction changed the landscape for decades to come. With the end of the Cold War came a sudden decline, and abandoned mines replaced earlier promises of prosperity. The people who left their health and dreams here remained with questions left unanswered.

The film Uranové legendy (Uranium Legends) tells this history through the personal stories of witnesses and experts. It does not judge, but rather uncovers a past whose consequences are still felt today. In an era of resurgent nuclear threats, the story of Czech uranium takes on a chilling relevance.

The film premiered in cinemas on February 24, 2026.

Filmmakers Jan Dufek and Jiří Charvát will be in attendance for the Liberec screening.