{"id":23317,"date":"2022-12-13T19:25:16","date_gmt":"2022-12-13T18:25:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vtei.cz\/2022\/12\/banskostiavnicka-vodohospodarska-sustava-vyznamna-technicka-pamiatka-unesco-2\/"},"modified":"2024-05-27T15:38:27","modified_gmt":"2024-05-27T14:38:27","slug":"banskostiavnicka-vodohospodarska-sustava-vyznamna-technicka-pamiatka-unesco-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vtei.cz\/en\/2022\/12\/banskostiavnicka-vodohospodarska-sustava-vyznamna-technicka-pamiatka-unesco-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Bansk\u00e1 \u0160tiavnica water management system \u2013 an important UNESCO technical monument"},"content":{"rendered":"

From the\u202f16<\/span>th<\/span><\/sup> to the\u202f19<\/span>t<\/sup>h<\/span> century, a unique water management system was created in Bansk\u00e1 \u0160tiavnica and its vicinity, which served the\u202flocal mines. The\u202fwater management system consisted of\u202fwater channels \u2013 collecting ditches, which concentrated surface water from \u0160tiavnick\u00e9 vrchy (\u0160tiavnica mountains) and brought it to the\u202fmining water reservoirs (tajchy). Tajchy are water reservoirs that were built to accumulate surface water from the\u202fcollecting ditches. Water from the\u202ftajchy was discharged into water canals \u2013 transporting ditches that brought water to the\u202fshafts. Here, the\u202fwater was piped into the\u202fdepths of<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>mine, where the\u202fobtained water energy powered pumping machines that pumped groundwater out of<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>flooded mines. Once the\u202fgroundwater was drained, the\u202fminers could continue extracting gold and silver. Water-powered processing facilities also operated in Bansk\u00e1 \u0160tiavnica and its vicinity, which processed the\u202fextracted ore from the\u202fmines. For centuries, the\u202fBansk\u00e1 \u0160tiavnica water management system set in motion more than a hundred water-powered devices. he\u202fsystem consisted of<\/span>\u202f<\/span>about 60 tajchy, 170 km of\u202fditches, and 15 water tunnels.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tajchy \u2013 dams and reservoirs<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Tajchy are earthfill dams. The\u202fdams were filled with the\u202fearth from the\u202fnearby area. From the\u202fpoint of\u202fview of<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>construction of\u202fdams, we can divide tajchy into homogeneous and heterogeneous. Homogeneous tajchy are older, lower, and more massive. The\u202fbody of\u202fsuch a dam consists of\u202fone or more types of\u202fsoil with similar properties. These dams are the\u202foldest and were mostly built before the\u202farrival of\u202fSamuel Mikov\u00edni. The\u202fsecond type is heterogeneous dams, which consist of\u202fstabilizing parts and a central sealing core. These are slimmer, higher dams with better stability. In<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>stabilization parts, there are mostly construction debris and in<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>sealing core, clay or loam. The\u202fheight of<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>tajchy varies from 3.3 m to the\u202fhighest Velk\u00e1 Rich\u0148ava (31.9 m). Usually, tajchy have only one dam \u2013 a dam over the\u202fvalley. However, there are also tajchy with two or more dams. For example, Po\u010d\u00favadliansky tajch has six dams.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Collecting and transporting ditches and water tunnels<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Collecting and transporting ditches were open channels that were laid out along contours with a minimum slope. The\u202fslope of<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>collecting ditches was around 0.66% (4 feet per 100 fathoms). The\u202ftransporting ditches had a gentler slope than the\u202fcollecting ditches \u2013 about 0.16% (12 inches per 100 fathoms). The\u202fwidth of<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>ditches was from 0.6 m to 1.0 m, while their depth varied from 0.5 m to 1.5 m. The\u202fditches consisted of<\/span>\u202f<\/span>a trough and a dyke. In order to avoid major losses and to speed up the\u202ftransfer of\u202fwater, some long arched parts of<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>ditches were replaced by water tunnels. Water tunnels were also dug along the\u202fditch routes which transferred water from basin to basin. Building ditches and water tunnels was certainly not cheap.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Current state of<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>water management system \u2013 UNESCO technical monument<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

In 1993, Bansk\u00e1 \u0160tiavnica \u2013 and the\u202ftechnical monuments in its vicinity \u2013 was inscribed on the\u202fUNESCO World Cultural Heritage List, the\u202ffirst ever Slovak town to achieve this. The\u202ffirst and fifth conditions for registering the\u202fcity and its vicinity on the\u202fUNESCO list include a unique water management system built since the\u202f16<\/span>th<\/span><\/sup> century, which saw its greatest growth in<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>18<\/span>th<\/span><\/sup> century, made maximum use of<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>hydro-energy potential of<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>surrounding hills, and remained the\u202fmost advanced water management system until the\u202f19<\/span>th<\/span><\/sup> century \u2013 criterion\u202fI. With exhaustible mineral resources, the\u202fcity became vulnerable with its historic urban structure in disintegration, and the\u202fhandling of<\/span>\u202f<\/span>a unique water management system that needed to be protected was threatened \u2013 Criterion\u202fV.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In a few months, it will be exactly 30 years since the\u202finscription of<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>Historical Town of\u202fBansk\u00e1 \u0160tiavnica and the\u202fTechnical Monuments of\u202fits Vicinity on the\u202fUNESCO list. In this part of<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>article, we present a brief recapitulation of\u202fwhat could and could not be saved in those 30 years. We will focus only on the\u202ffirst \u2013 the\u202fmost important criterion for registration in UNESCO, namely a\u202funique water management system and a description of\u202fits current state.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In total, there are currently 26 registered Bansk\u00e1 \u0160tiavnica tajchy in \u0160tiavnick\u00e9 vrchy, divided into 8 water management systems. Of<\/span>\u202f<\/span>them, 22 tajchy were transferred from the\u202fmanagement of\u202fRudn\u00e9 bane, state enterprise, or from the\u202fownership of<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>city of\u202fBansk\u00e1 \u0160tiavnica to the\u202fadministration of\u202fSlovensk\u00fd vodohospod\u00e1rsky podnik (Slovak Water Management Company, hereinafter SVP). The\u202fother three tajchy are privately owned, and the\u202flast tajch is in<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>administration of\u202fLesy SR, state enterprise (Forests of<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>Slovak Republic); 23 tajchy reach the\u202fmaximum operating level. Of<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>remaining three tajchy, one has been at a minimum water level since its construction. The\u202ffunctional objects were removed from the\u202fsecond tajch, and thus water accumulation is not possible in<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>reservoir. The\u202fdam on the\u202fthird tajch was damaged during the\u202f20<\/span>th<\/span><\/sup>\u202fcentury, so it can no longer hold water. There are three other smaller tajchy at risk, whose reservoirs are on the\u202fverge of\u202fbeing filled with sediments. A total of\u202f18 tajchy were declared national cultural monuments in 1955 and 1979 (10.46555\/VTEI.2022.09.001 NKP). In<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>period from UNESCO inscription (1993) until now, in addition to some listed tajchy, selected objects such as a dam, a\u202fsafety spillway, bottom outlets etc., have also been declared as monuments. A total of\u202f13 tajchy have been renovated since 1993, either by the\u202fadministrator, the\u202fowner, or another institution.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\"\"<\/a>\n

Fig. 1. \u0160tiavnick\u00e9 Mines \u2013 Ve\u013ek\u00e1 Wind\u0161achta, Evi\u010dka (Photo: S. \u010cerve\u0148) <\/span><\/h6>\n\"\"<\/a>\n
Fig. 2. Beliansky tajch \u2013 summit reservoir of Belianska water management system (Photo: S. \u010cerve\u0148)<\/span><\/h6>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/h6>\n
Fig. 3. Water tunnel (Photo: S. \u010cerve\u0148)<\/h6>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/h6>\n
Fig. 4. The main Rich\u0148ava collecting ditch (Photo: S. \u010cerve\u0148)<\/h6>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/h6>\n
Fig. 5. Ve\u013ek\u00e1 Rich\u0148ava after reconstruction (Photo: S. \u010cerve\u0148)<\/h6>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/h6>\n
Fig. 6. Collecting ditch during restoration by CA (Photo: S. \u010cerve\u0148)<\/h6>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/h6>\n
Fig. 7. Collecting ditch after restoration by CA (Photo: S. \u010cerve\u0148)<\/h6>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/h6>\n
Fig. 8. One of the collecting ditches destroyed by logging (Photo: S. \u010cerve\u0148)<\/h6>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/h6>\n
Fig. 9. Inappropriate reconstruction of one of the collecting ditches (Photo: S. \u010cerve\u0148)<\/h6>\n\"\"<\/a>\n
Fig. 10. One of the collecting ditches destroyed by logging (Photo: S. \u010cerve\u0148)<\/h6>\n

\u0160tiavnick\u00fd tajch Civic Association<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

If in<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>previous part of<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>article we talked only about tajchy, in<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>following one we will evaluate the\u202fstate of<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>water management system and its parts \u2013 collecting and transporting ditches. In 2011, the\u202f\u0160tiavnick\u00fd tajch Civic Association (hereinafter CA) was founded, thanks to which 73 collecting and transporting ditches and 15 water tunnels were identified in<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>field over the\u202fcourse of\u202f10\u202fyears, with the\u202fhelp of\u202fhistorical maps from the\u202f18<\/span>th<\/span>\u202fto\u202f20<\/span>th<\/span>\u202fcenturies.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We have divided the\u202fcurrent state of\u202fcollecting and transporting ditches into six groups (in km):<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  • functional: 2.5 ditches<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  • preserved: 7.5 ditches<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  • visible: 13 ditches<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  • deformed: 11.5 ditches<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  • not preserved: 20.5 ditches<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  • non-existent: 18 ditches<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    \u00a0<\/span>Of<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>total number of\u202fditches, only 2.5 km are functional and maintained. Currently, only 7 ditches have the\u202fstatus of<\/span>\u202f<\/span>a national cultural monument and are under the\u202fprotection of<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>Monuments Act. The\u202fother ditches, as UNESCO technical monuments, are protected in accordance with Act no. 100\/2002 of\u202f30\u202fJanuary 2001 on the\u202fprotection and development of<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>territory of\u202fBansk\u00e1 \u0160tiavnica and its vicinity. The\u202fdeclaration of\u202fother collecting ditches, transporting ditches, and water tunnels as national cultural monuments is constantly being delayed, which leads to their constant damage. The\u202fmost frequent causes of<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>damage of\u202fcollecting and transporting ditches lie in<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>ignorance of<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>owner, manager, or lessee of<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>land about their occurrence, which is almost incomprehensible in a UNESCO site. Ditches are often removed during forest management \u2013 logging, processing, extracting wood, and transporting the\u202fharvested wood along the\u202fdyke of<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>ditch. Most of<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>ditches were damaged in this way. Another reason for the\u202fdamage of<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>UNESCO technical monument is the\u202fprivate owners, especially in<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>cottage areas around the\u202ftajchy, who often have access roads to the\u202fproperties built through ditch channels. In this case, the\u202fditches are damaged by motor vehicles, and even by backfilling the\u202fditches, creating crossings, or building parking areas in<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>ditches. Incomprehensible are some reconstructions of\u202fditches, where earthen trapezoidal troughs are replaced by concrete ones. This kind of\u202fdamage of\u202fUNESCO\u2019s technical monuments has nothing to do with the\u202fprotection of\u202fworld heritage and is an indication that something is wrong. Of<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>total 170\u202fkm of\u202fditches that were built around Bansk\u00e1 \u0160tiavnica, only 2.5 km are currently functional. However, it is still possible to save and restore another approximately 53 km. The\u202fgoal of<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>\u0160tiavnick\u00fd tajch CA is to protect, save, and educate the\u202fpublic about the\u202funique water management system in<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>vicinity of\u202fBansk\u00e1 \u0160tiavnica. For the\u202fprotection of\u202fUNESCO technical monuments in Bansk\u00e1 \u0160tiavnica and its vicinity, a working group was established at<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>initiative of\u202f\u0160tiavnick\u00fd tajch CA, which is convened by the\u202ftown of\u202fBansk\u00e1 \u0160tiavnica and where proposals for the\u202fprotection of\u202fditches are presented to the\u202frelevant stakeholders. In<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>field, CA organizes volunteer restoration work, where selected sections of\u202fcollecting ditches are saved and restored with the\u202fhelp of\u202fvolunteers. In total, 1.5 km of\u202fone of<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>collecting ditches was saved and maintained within 18 months. As part of\u202fpublic education, CA published two publications about the\u202fBansk\u00e1 \u0160tiavnica water management system; the\u202ftopic is presented on social networks and the\u202fwebsite (https:\/\/bstajchy.sk\/), and there are guided tours around parts of<\/span>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span>\u202f<\/span>system and tajchy. The\u202fultimate goal of\u202f\u0160tiavnick\u00fd tajch CA is to restore the\u202flast renewable 53 km of\u202fditches and provide them with an administrator who will care about this extremely important UNESCO world technical monument.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Acknowledgements<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

    This paper was created as part of<\/span><\/i>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span><\/i>\u202f<\/span>research project DG18P02OVV019 \u201cHistorick\u00e9 vodohospod\u00e1\u0159sk\u00e9 objekty, jejich hodnota, funkce a v\u00fdznam pro sou\u010dasnou dobu (Historical water management objects, their value, function and significance for the\u202fpresent time)\u201d, which is financed by the\u202fNAKI II programme of<\/span><\/i>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span><\/i>\u202f<\/span>Ministry of\u202fCulture of<\/span><\/i>\u202f<\/span>the<\/span><\/i>\u202f<\/span>Czech Republic.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    From the 16th to the 19th century, a unique water management system was created in Bansk\u00e1 \u0160tiavnica and its vicinity, which served the local mines. The water management system consisted of water channels \u2013 collecting ditches, which concentrated surface water from \u0160tiavnick\u00e9 vrchy (\u0160tiavnica mountains) and brought it to the mining water reservoirs (tajchy). Tajchy are water reservoirs that were built to accumulate surface water from the collecting ditches. Water from the tajchy was discharged into water canals \u2013 transporting ditches that brought water to the shafts. Here, the water was piped into the depths of the mine, where the obtained water energy powered pumping machines that pumped groundwater out of the flooded mines. Once the groundwater was drained, the miners could continue extracting gold and silver. Water-powered processing facilities also operated in Bansk\u00e1 \u0160tiavnica and its vicinity, which processed the extracted
    \nore from the mines. For centuries, the Bansk\u00e1 \u0160tiavnica water management system set in motion more than a hundred water-powered devices. The system consisted of about 60 tajchy, 170 km of ditches, and 15 water tunnels.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":17748,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[86],"tags":[3023,3030,3027,2971,3026,3028,3025,3024,3029],"coauthors":[2931],"class_list":["post-23317","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hydraulics-hydrology-and-hydrogeology","tag-banska-stiavnica","tag-collectingditches","tag-mining-water-reservoirs","tag-tajchy","tag-technical-momuments","tag-transporting-ditches","tag-unesco","tag-water-management-system","tag-water-tunnels"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vtei.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23317","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vtei.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vtei.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtei.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtei.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23317"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtei.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23317\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29402,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtei.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23317\/revisions\/29402"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtei.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17748"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vtei.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23317"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtei.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23317"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtei.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23317"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtei.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=23317"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}