Largest Wooden Water Wheel

Hologram of Kamšt on your phone

1. Fold the pyramid. If needed, follow these instructions.
2. Attach the hologram pyramid on your smart phone.
3. Play the video in full screen. Enjoy!

Kamšt pumped water from the depths of the mine and was water-powered itself.

Idrija - Kamšt z vodnim kanalom in jezom

Kamšt is a device for pumping water from the Idrija Mercury Mine built in 1790 and operational for 158 years. Water from the Idrijca River arrived at the 13.6-metre wooden power wheel along water canals (rake) and powered the pump, which drained water from the mine via a pumping mechanism. The mercury heritage of Idrija and that of the Spanish Almadén is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Learn More

“Kamšt” was built in 1790 and operated for 158 years. It consists of a wooden drive wheel, a wooden-steel horizontal drive bars, a vertical pumping bars and piston pumps. The special feature of the ”Kamšt” is its huge driving wheel with a diameter of 13.6m. Water from the Idrijca River arrived at wheel along water channel called rake and powered the pump, which drained water from the mine via a pumping mechanism. The name comes from the German word Wasserkunst and means “water art”.

The device, which pumped water from the depths of the mine, was water-powered itself. It was powered by the Idrijca river stream from the water channel, which was built at the end of the 16th century – at the time of the mine production’s big modernisation. This 3.5km long channel provided a constant and sufficiently strong water flow to various mines in town, especially the “Kamšt”.

Video: Arctur

Learn More

The water from the channel came in along the wooden gutter above the wooden wheel to its buckets, turning it around at a speed of four to five times a minute. The rotation of the drive wheel shaft was transmitted to the pumping bars – installed in the shaft into the depth of the mine – through the shaft, the connecting rod, the 75m long horizontal power bars and two three-arm levers. The pumping was carried out in three stages – from the first to the second and then to the third piston pumps at depths 238m, 232m in 117m below the surface, and then into the canal and out. The system allowed the pumping of around 300 litres of water per minute.

There were two maintenance workers (kumštajgar) working at the “Kamšt” at the same time. They were responsible for its operation and, in particular, the greasing of spinning and moving parts.

Video: Arctur

Why did they build these “Kamšt” wheels?

Groundwater penetration into mine pits was very common and a major problem in the operation of mines, and pumping the water from the pit was one of the most difficult, the most expensive and also the most dangerous tasks.

During the entire time of its operation, the Idrija mine invested considerable financial assets in order to solve this problem — in the construction and installation of new and more efficient devices. Tremendous progress in water pumping technology came in the form of the “Kamšt” wheels – water-powered pumps, which were built in Idrija from the beginning of the 16th century.

They were installed at the Achatius’ Shaft (1533), Barbara’s Shaft (1604), Theresa’s Shaft (1736), Joseph’s Shaft (1790), Francis’ Shaft (1792) and Ferdinand’s Shaft (1836). They were so effective that some of them were operating even after the mine had started to use steam power for this purpose.

Only this one at the Joseph’s Shaft is preserved today.

Photo: Arctur (Jernej Žumer)