History

The discussion on the construction of a water supply system in Cracow lasted from 1866. However, construction of the building complex was started in 1897, when the Municipal Water System Office was established, and Imperial and Royal Chief Engineer Roman Ingarden, the author of the design of the water supply complex, was appointed as its head. The official start-up of the water supply system (for the uptake from the district of Bielany) took place on 14 February 1901. In 1906, 2016 residential and 83 non-residential real properties used the system, and after that, 3570 houses and 40 churches were connected to it. The facility was used by the residents of Półwieś Zwierzyniecki, Nowa Wola, Krowodrza, Prądnik Czerwony, Olsza, Grzegórzki, and Piaski. At the start-up, the Bielany uptake had 20 wells, spread over the length of 950 m. On the left bank of the Vistula River, an unloading harbour was arranged for scows carrying coal with which steam boilers were fired. In 1908, an extension of the Bielany uptake was designed, to include further 3 wells, a crossing on the Vistula River by a system of tunnels, and complex II (to be constructed by the factory of L. Zieleniewski) to supply power to the Works, i.e. a steam engine. In 1913, the steam engine hall was extended. In 1917, a reserve water intake was launched (due to flooding of the machine hall by high water of Vistula), located on the left bank of the river, above the monastery of Norbertine sisters in Zwierzyniec. In the years 1924-1935, a number of modernisation works were undertaken: among other things, in 1933, an own bacteriological laboratory and a water chlorination station were commissioned. Investment works were also carried out at the turn of 1938 and 1939. In 1945, the water supply system restarted, and in the years 1946-1949, the works were cleaned and renovated. In the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, further modernisation works were carried out, which are continued also today.

Description

The complex of buildings and technological facilities of the municipal water system "Bielany" is located at the foot of Srebrna Góra, on the eastern side of the Camaldolese monastery. It occupies a small plot of land on the northern side of Księcia Józefa Street, and a large area stretching along the Vistula River on the south. In the northern part, fenced by a brick wall, there are technological facilities (steam engine hall, boiler room, laboratory), and a residential building with gardens and a gatehouse. It is the oldest part of the complex. On the other side of the street, in an extensive area by the Vistula River, water is drawn and initial treatment processes are carried out with the use of a number of wells, tanks, sediment tanks, and filters. In addition to them, workshop and fast filter buildings are located here, as well as a pump station, fuel storage, and a tunnel running under the Vistula trough. The complex is made of brick, the buildings are not plastered and circumscribed by an openwork brick wall. The historic municipal water supply complex include: administration building from 1937-1938, gatehouse from 1900, residential building from 1900, laboratory from 1900, converted in 1932-1933 and 1989, steam engine hall from 1900, converted in 1968-1970, old boiler room from 1900, converted in 1925, new boiler room from 1928-1929, generator hall from 1913-1914, electric pump station (older) from 1913-1914, electric pump station (newer) from 1937-1938, collective well no. 1 from 1900, extended upwards, approx. in 1930, collective well no. 2 from 1937-1938, de-acidification station, currently a storehouse from 1937-1938, transformer room from 1940, valve chamber from 1930, gas shelter carved in rock from 1935, social room, currently a house from 1923-1930, mechanical workshop from 1923-1930, figure of the Virgin Mary commemorating the workers of the water system, killed during the World War II, fence wall with a gate from 1900, Vistula water pumping station 1925-1926, converted in 1937-1938, tunnel under Vistula from 1912-1913, slow filters with wells from 1921 and 1925-1926, converted in 1939-1944, 1946-1949, Vistula water sediment tank from 1937-1939, tank at 23. Wodociągowa Street from 1900, water tower at 30 Baczyńskiego Street from 1884, 1912-1914, administration building - management of municipal water system at 1 Senatorska St/ 2 Łowiecka St from 1913. It is worth attention that the municipal water system have retained their function and general architectural form, unchanged for more than 100 years.

Operating industrial plant. It can be viewed from outside.

compiled by Olga Dyba, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Krakow, 8-07-2014.

Bibliography

• Dyba O., Duda J., Pochwała S, Dawne zakłady rzemieślnicze i przemysłowe Krakowa. Kraków 2000.
• Dyba O., Duda J., Zabytki techniki na terenie Krakowa i województwa krakowskiego (w:) Ochrona zabytków techniki, przemysłu i sztuki inżynierskiej, „Zeszyty Naukowo - Techniczne Stowarzyszenia Inżynierów i Techników Komunikacji w Krakowie”, z. 26, 1993, s. 37-55.
• Dohnalik K., Geneza i rozwój wodociągów i kanalizacji miasta Krakowa 1882-1982. Kraków 1986.