Water mills on the Small Danube

Water mills were spread, particularly in South Slovakia, where almost every village had a water mill.  Five of them have been preserved in this region until today. Although each of them is unique, at least in Central Europe, few people know about them.

The Danube and its adjacent system of branches created favourable natural, hydrogeological and economic conditions for the existence of water mills on the island Žitný ostrov. Ship mills, also called floating mills, that were constructed by the Romans, initially occurred in Slovakia. A grain milling plant was mounted on a pair of ships that the miller anchored directly in a stretch of river with the strongest stream.

In the 18th century, the steam transport started to develop and ship mills, that often formed groups of islands on the river, stood in the way of larger vessels. Finally, they were prohibited by the Water Act from the year 1885. However, millers on the Small Danube, where 37 ship mills were operated in that period, did not want to give up their profitable business. They moved their mills closer to the river banks and mounted them on piles. Water was transported to the wheel through fascines that, however, were not allowed to stand in the way of vessels. The millers again found a solution – they constructed a longer traverse fascine from the opposite river bank and a shorter one from the bank side of the mill. Their remnants can still be seen in many places during low tide.

The former glory of the milling industry in South Slovakia is recalled by pile mills in Jelka, Tomášikovo, Jahodná and Dunajský Klátov, and by a single ship mill in Kolárovo.

;reklama;

Jelka

The unique two-storey mill was initially owned by Jozef Németh, later by his son Vincent, and until the year 1973 by Ernest Németh. Therefore, today it is called „Németh Mill“. The oldest document on this mill – plan of water use with technical description and drawing of the mill structure – dates back to the year 1894. In that period, it was a ship mill. The “luxurious” reconstruction to a two-storey pile mill was implemented by its owner at the beginning of the 20th century, who replaced the original millstones by modern machines. The reconstructed mill was operated until April 1951.

In 1993, it underwent reconstruction and, since then, it has been a milling museum. The plant is functional and, during a tour, the guide always starts the mill wheel and explains to the visitors how the mill worked. A part of the site is a small open-air museum devoted to the agricultural past of the village.  

Tomášikovo

The building of the mill with a shingle roof and a big blade wheel, constructed on acacia piles and accessible by a wooden footbridge, is preserved in its original condition. The mill was built in 1893 by János Matica, grandfather of the last miller, and today it is the oldest preserved mill on the Small Danube.

In the mill, grain was milled between two stones mounted on massive mill scaffolding. According to the guide, the mill had been operated for seven days and on the eighth day the miller always reground and cleaned one of the stones. The mill was in operation 20 hours a day and two hours were required for the milling of one grain dose.
The mill underwent its last reconstruction in 1940 and was last operated in 1960. The mill plant is also functional and during a tour the guide starts the mill wheel. However, at present it is engine-driven, because there is not enough water in the Small Danube. 

Jahodná

In the past eleven mills were operated in Jahodná. Two of them have been preserved. One was sold to the Slovak National Museum in Martin by its owner. The second mill was built by Boldizsár Renczés in the late 19th century.  When the mill burnt down in 1920, the forester István Nagy purchased it and transformed it, as one of few water mills on the Small Danube, into a water sawmill in 1931. He produced power that was used not only for sawing operations, but also for the lighting of public buildings in the village. The present owner of the mill is the company Západoslovenské energetické závody. It was reconstructed to its present state ten years ago, but it is the only mill closed to the public. It can be seen from a river bridge, from the opposite river bank or from the water. 

Dunajský Klátov

Unlike the other mills, the mill in Dunajský Klátov has a masonry mill department and only the driving part of the mill is mounted on piles in a wooden annex building. It was driven by the waters of the river branch Klátovske rameno, one of tributaries of the Small Danube. It was built in late 19th century and gained its present look in 1920. Its last owner was Michal Csefalvay, who last operated it in the 1940s. In the second half of the 1980s, the mill was purchased by the state and the building and its surrounding grounds were declared a state conservation area. The mill surroundings – nature reserve Klátovske rameno – are unique too. It is a very precious site with typical alluvial forests, many rare plant and animal species and very clean water. Most of the water surface is covered by water lily leaves. 

Kolárovo

The ship mill in Kolárovo is not floating. It is anchored and accessible by an 86 m long bridge – the longest covered bridge with a wooden structure in Europe. The mill is unique in Slovakia, but it is not original. It is a reconstruction of the Radvaň mill that was operated on the Danube. It was built in 1920 and its owner was Szivanyó Béla. In 1945, it burnt down and as it was the last floating mill in our country, it underwent reconstruction in the 1970s.

The whole mill grounds are situated on an Island bounded by the Small Danube and Váh rivers and administered by the conservationist association Vodný mlyn Kolárovo. Many technical monuments (e.g. plant for the production of fishing nets), a farmer’s house and a farm are a part of the exposition. The traditional components of the milling plant and period photographs are exhibited in the mill.

Author: Ivana Brezinská
Photo: Ivana Brezinská

Audio/Video

Photogallery