Podbranský mlýn Water mill

Podbranský mlýn in Horadějovice (Klatovy district) is a former water mill with a power plant on the river Otava. It is a remarkable long history dating back to the 14th century and a contribution to the early electrification of the city, which was possible thanks to cooperation with Franz Křižík.

The construction was the lowest ground mill by the water channel Mill drive, which leads to Otava under the city gate Branka. The city bought it already in 1373, then under the name Na waves.

It's a one-story building with a saddle roof. Above the entrance there is a stone plate with a sternberg character, Latin inscription and dating from 1711.

Since 1373 the mill belonged to the city of Horažďovice. From 1958 to 1980 it was protected as a real-estate cultural monument of the Czech Republic.

Throughout history, the object served various purposes. At the beginning of the 19th century, flax seed oil worked here and cotton wadding has been produced since 1881. A fundamental change occurred in 1903 when the city negotiated with the Prague company František Křižík about the introduction of electric lighting. After agreement with the miller Korda, a water-driven power plant was launched in 1905. The facility illuminated the public spaces with four arc lamps and supplied a number of residential houses. Private customers received approximately 1000 bulbs and three engines.

The power plant was combined and used the power of water, steam and diesel. The water energy was used by the Francis turbine (33 horsepower), which powered the Křižík Dynamo from 1903 with a power of 23 kW. The steam section consisted of the Wolf locobil system (85 horsepower) with a 1913 dynamism of 59 kW. The last source of energy was Diesel's engine (170 horsepower) with a 1924 dynamo of 120 kW power. The battery with 136 cells was used for system stability. In winter, when the river froze, the dynamo was powered by a steam engine.

The operation of the mill ended in 1919, although the equipment of the mill remained partially preserved until the early 1990s. Between 2013 and 2015 the building underwent a complex reconstruction for 40 million crowns.

Currently Podbranský mlýn serves as a residence centre for environmental education.

The monument represents a unique combination of traditional water management and the beginnings of modern electrical engineering. It shows the technical development of the region and is an appropriate target for every interested person in the history of technology.