Vodní elektrárna, Hydroelectric power station in Nové Mlýny, Czech Republic
Vodní elektrárna Řimice is a functionalist machine hall built in 1923 on the left bank of the supply channel in Řimice, part of Bílá Lhota. Its pale, weathered facade has semicircular windows, a large circular window in the taller right section and a reddish-brown base band. A concrete fence with blue droplet ornaments and a wrought-iron gate surrounds the grounds.
A mill at Nové Mlýny is first documented in 1564; by around 1870 it ran on a Jonval turbine and an iron water wheel of 240 HP. The mill's conversion into a hydroelectric plant was completed in 1925, the machine hall already in 1923, for owner Miroslav Plhák, son of electricity pioneer Hubert Plhák. The design is attributed to architect Bohuslav Fuchs, though one source names Olomouc architect Hubert Aust. In 1981 the machine hall, weir, headrace and tailrace were entered in the Central List of Cultural Monuments.
The mill at Nové Mlýny, first recorded in 1564, passed to Miroslav Plhák, son of electricity pioneer Hubert Plhák, who converted it into a power station. Its functionalist machine hall, attributed to Bohuslav Fuchs or Hubert Aust, has a facade with semicircular windows, and the grounds are enclosed by a concrete fence decorated with blue drops and a wrought-iron gate.
The station stands on the left bank of the supply channel in Řimice, part of Bílá Lhota in the Olomouc district. A reinforced-concrete bridge over the channel carries road III/4498 and cycle route 6051, Ochutnej Moravu, past the machine hall. The grounds are enclosed by a concrete fence with blue drops and a wrought-iron gate.
The 2017–2018 overhaul replaced the original Francis turbine with a new Kaplan turbine, so the machinery is not all original. The 1923 machine hall, the fixed weir with its flood gate, the three-sluice headrace and the tailrace were listed as cultural monuments in 1981.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,321 contributors worldwide.