Museum of Old Polish Industrial Region in Sielpia

When visiting the monuments of technology in the Świętokrzyskie region, it is hard not to get the impression that the designers of former industrial plants paid great attention to the smallest details. It is no different in Sielpia Wielka, where an industrial plant and a workers' housing estate were built in the 19th century.

Everything in the smallest detail had to be planned by an extremely talented architect. It was probably Karol Knake, who supervised the construction and modernization of many industrial facilities in this area - including Białogon and Nietulisko Duzy.

In Sielpia, a pudling house was located, i.e. a specific purification plant for pig iron from unnecessary admixture of coal and other elements. Only the semi-finished product, prepared in a special puddling furnace, was rolled or hit under a huge hammer weighing 3.5 tons, which struck as many as 30 times per minute.

Such powerful machines had to be properly powered. The drive was provided by a huge water wheel with a diameter of 9 meters, preserved to this day. Unfortunately, many of the original furnishings have not survived to this day.

The impressive machines that we can admire inside the Sierpian Museum are a review of the extraordinary technical thought of the 19th century. Among them - nail guns, puddling furnace, rolling mills and machine tools. Currently, the facility is closed to visitors.

Worth knowin

In 2020, the Świętokrzyski Trail of Monuments of Technology was created. The 200 km long trail is intended for motorized tourists. It is about 200 kilometers long. Along the way, we will get to know over 20 technical monuments located in the central and northern part of the region.