Ruins of an industrial plant in Machory

The history of industry in Machory, like many other towns in this area, is related to the production of iron. We know that already in the 16th century there was a water forge here, and later also a blast furnace for smelting iron.

Unfortunately, the end of this chapter in the history of Machor brought a change in the technology of obtaining pig iron. Coke gradually displaced charcoal, leading to the gradual collapse of plants using this raw material.

At the end of the 19th century, the then owner, Ludwik Bayer, set up a cardboard and tile factory on the site of the former steelworks. Clay mined in a nearby mine was used to make tiles here.

Machory was one of the most important factories of this type in the Russian partition. The goods produced here were sold not only in Warsaw and Łódź, but also in distant Moscow, Odessa and St. Petersburg. Stove tiles from Machor were also used to cover stoves at stations of the Trans-Siberian Railway.

In the interwar period, an electric power generator powered by a water turbine was installed. Interestingly, the equipment of the Machory factory worked until the 1970s.

Today, the ruins are inaccessible to visitors. From the outside, you will see abandoned factory buildings and the remains of the water damming system and the propulsion system.