Largest Wooden Water Wheel
The “Kamšt” is a large water-powered pumping device, which was used to pump the pit water from the Idrija Mercury Mine.
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.