At the beginning of the 16th century, mining pioneers settled in the area which was dominated by dense forest at the time.

The legend is preserved in the coat of arms and also in the German name (Bär = bear).

In 1532, a settlement called Peringer was promoted to a mining town by the then owner of the estate, Jindřich Schlick.

The area between Pernink, Abertamy and Horní Blatná used to be called "silver triangle".

Following the Thirty Years' War, most of the Protestant miners left to neighbouring Saxony.

The local railway station is the second highest in the Czech Republic with an elevation of 902 metres (2,959 ft).