Eliášova dědičná štola Water structure

Eliášova dědičná štola is a draining stol near Úsil in the district of České Budějovice, South Bohemia region. This water work was used to reduce the water from the mines in the Rudolph ore region and is an important technical object with a history dating back to the end of the 16th century.

After flooding the main Rudolfov mines in 1570, the mine was designed as a solution for the drainage of mining works. The work on her stamping began on July 20, 1574, on the day of St. Elias. After six years, the construction was stopped due to a lack of funding, although it was almost finished. Despite the interest of the Rožmberks and masters of Hradec, in 1584 the work failed to resume and the work began to be lost.

In 1628, the townspeople of České Budějovice started the stamping, but due to the inprofessional implementation, there were deviations from the planned direction and the stol collapsed in several places. In 1725 it was cleaned and connected to the corridor of St. Florian. Subsequently there were other turns, as the Three Kings turn leading to the shaft of God's will in 1734, and the shafts of Cherry and Solomon were pressed in 1763. In 1769 the turn of Our Lady of Victory was founded to the mines near Libníč in the passage of God's blessing.

During the 19th century, the dike was only partially fulfilling its function, as some of the mining areas were below the level of the hereditary diaphragm, which required the use of pumps. During the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century the turn of Our Lady of Victory was extended to the space of Horus, while in 1910 another passage was completed. In 1932 the stol was modified as a source of drinking water for the České Budějovice water pipeline, most of which came from a corridor leading from Hůr towards Libníč. After the completion of the water tank Romov in 1978 was no longer used for the supply of water. Since May 3, 1958, this building has been registered as a cultural monument.

The current 350-metre tour route has been open since 2009 and leads between the Oval and the Water Chute off the Houry-Strong Road. The original length of the bridge exceeded three kilometres, but its further extension is not possible due to the conformation carried out by the army. Since the original entrance is located on private land, a new entrance has been built for visitors. The tour route runs about five meters below the surface of the metal walkways. Low ceilings often force visitors to bend down significantly, while the ceiling is sometimes decorated with crinkle straws and sintre toppings. The end of the section is located about 15 meters below the surface, from where the stairs rise up by rotunda.

Eliášova dědičná štola is a valuable witness to the historical development of mining and water management in the region. Its visit offers insight into technical solutions of the past and into unique natural processes inside the underground work.