3/12/2025
Technological Marvels of the Past
The world is full of opportunities and if you follow your dreams, you can make them come true. Ondřej Černý disregarded his education to follow a career he had dreamed of. He has been taking care of our trains for ten years now.
Ishtar Gate Mill
In 2023, Pardubice finished the renovation of one of its most prominent technical monuments, the Winternitz Automatic Mills. Built in 1910, the four-story brick building is a striking sight, both due to its size and architectural form. It was designed by the reputed Czech architect Josef Gočár who gave it a unique rondo-cubist character.
The Automatic Mills are the home of an information centre and several cultural institutions: the Gočár Gallery, the Modern Art Gallery Gampa, or the Sféra Educational Centre. the Automatic Mills Foundation is based in the silo building. You can enjoy a cup of coffee in the Cafe Gočár, or in the roof bar, which is open during events to offer visitors a stunning view of the historical centre of Pardubice. There are regular commented tours of the site.
🚂 Steam Trains on the Sugar Beet Railway
One of the key industries in Czechia from the 19th to the early 21st century was sugar refining. Many of the sugar refineries were closed in the early 21st century, and only a few Czech sugar mills are able to continue production nowadays. At least some parts of the rich Czech sugar production heritage have been luckily preserved as technological monuments. The Sugar Beet Railway near Kolín is a narrow-gauge line which used to take train loads of sugar beet to the Kolín sugar mill. Founded in 2000, the Kolín Sugar Beet Railway Revival Club started taking steps to preserve and renovate the line. The first section was put back in operation in 2007, and the whole 9 km part between Sendražice and Býchory was finished eight years later. Today, the trains no longer transport beet, but they are full of keen visitors. The sentimental journey of the beet train begins at the renovated Kolín-Sendražice station, which features an information centre and a café.
The Ostrava "Castle"
Our tour of technical monuments could never be complete if we missed out Ostrava! Let us visit the former industrial park in Dolní Vítkovice. The structures form a dominant silhouette which has become the symbol of the city. The venue includes the famous Vítkovice Ironworks, founded in 1828, with its well-preserved steel furnaces. The 80 m high Furnace No. 1, now called the Bolt Tower, has been turned into a lookout tower. Its top offers a breathtaking view of the whole city and the ridges of the Beskydy Mountains.
The former site of the ironworks and the Hlubina mine has been turned into a multi-purpose cultural venue with two educational hubs – the Science and Technology Centre and the U6 Science and Technology Centre, with a rich selection of educational attractions for children and adults. The Gong Gallery is located in a former gasholder, along with a conference centre for over 1500 visitors! It hosts numerous cultural and educational events or concerts.
TEXT: Jakub Jukl
PHOTO: Shutterstock.com, Wikimedia commons/Actuell37/CC BY-SA 4.0
The whole article can be found in the spring issue of the Leo Express Magazine
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