The beauty of industrial architecture

This remarkable building, which is most often simply referred to as Zauhlovačka, was constructed in Vratislavice in 1916-19 during the First World War by Italian prisoners of war. Designed by Leopold Bauer, the tower is one of the most valuable and beautiful examples of industrial architecture in northern Bohemia.

Water and coal

Order is the key. They followed that motto with the Vratislavice Coal Tower, and divided everything up nicely. The engine room was on the ground floor, the coal hoppers on the upper floors, and there was a reservoir under the viewing platform. The way the tower worked was that coal was transported to it along a siding, and was then sucked into the hoppers by a heavy-duty vacuum. The mixed coal went along a conveyor belt through a horizontal shaft into the neighbouring boiler. 

The Coal Tower with a New Purpose

When the Coal Tower was put out of work it began to fall into disrepair, until it was taken over by the AvantgArt association. With great effort and enthusiasm, they worked to give this dusty relic a dignified future. Thanks to them, the Coal Tower hosted numerous cultural events, and the adjacent Workshop held various hands-on sessions, often focused on restoration or furniture upholstery. After the association’s ten-year lease of the tower expired, the Coal Tower returned to the ownership of its original proprietor—Intex company.