Bartošovice mill, Watermill in Bartošovice, Czech Republic.
Bartošovice mill stands on the Odra in the Poodří protected landscape area, by the weir in Bartošovice. The building, rebuilt in 1884–1889 and again after a fire in 1928–29, still houses a vertical Francis turbine made by Jos. Prokop a synové of Pardubice in the early 1930s, which drives a generator.
The mill is first recorded in 1581 in the urbarium of the Hukvaldy estate as a mill with three millstones paying 75 gulden, plus 24 gulden for fattening four pigs. Countess Josefína Pachtová sold it to Ignác Bönisch on 12 December 1828; it was rebuilt between 1884 and 1889. A fire in the winter of 1928–29 led to further rebuilding, and from 1933 a Francis turbine replaced the wooden water wheel. The last Bönisch owner, Alfréd, was shot in the garden by a Soviet soldier in May 1945.
The mill's German name, Odermühle, refers to the Oder, and the Czech name Bönischův mlýn recalls the Bönisch family, who bought it in 1828 and kept it until Alfréd Bönisch was shot in the garden in May 1945. Since its reconstruction it has served as a gallery, a milling museum and a venue for cultural events.
The site is easy to reach and the building exterior is visible from the village area, making exploration straightforward. For deeper insight into its workings, those interested can contact the local administration in advance to ask about access options.
The mill's original Francis turbine still generates electricity through a generator; since 2005 a small hydroelectric plant has operated here. Before electrification, pulleys and a steel rope drove farm machinery from the mill. The turbine, made by Jos. Prokop a synové of Pardubice in the early 1930s, has a flow rate of 1,500 l/s and a head of 2.5 m.
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