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 mill, its workshop and the hearty chaps that support it

When the Coal Tower was put out of work it began to fall into disrepair, until it was taken over by the AvantgArt association, which is now trying to give this dusty piece of the past a dignified future. And they’re doing a great job of it. The Coal Tower hosts cultural events throughout the year and the neighbouring Workshop holds various craft-related courses, such as furniture renovation or upholstering.