Historical Water Supply Station "ZAWADA"

Last Monday I was on school trip . It was a short trip burt educational one.

The construction of the water supply complex in Karchowice was commenced in the years 1894-1895. The following free-standing buildings were erected: a pump station, a steam boiler room and administration buildings. There were also necessary steam-driven pump units and boilers for steam generation installed. The first reconstruction of the plant took place in the years 1927-1929, when the engine house (new pumps and compressors were installed there) and a boiler room were remodelled. A workshop, a bath, a warehouse, garages, a fire brigade building and a chimney were constructed there as well.

Buildings composing the complex of the Water Production Plant “Zawada” (former State Water Supply Station “Zawada”) were erected in the modernist style. The historic furnishings and moveable items have been preserved in the plant.

Route chronicle

Although Karchowice is not located in the industrial centre of Upper Silesia, at the end of the 19th c. the search for hard coal was started there. However, instead of the black ore, productive sources of potable water were found and they were fed to the Upper Silesian water supply systems. As a result, over 125 years ago, a drinking water intake for the Upper Silesian agglomeration was established in Karchowice. From the oldest period the office building has been preserved, where at present a part of historic documents and photographs is exhibited within the Historical Water Supply Station “Zawada”. During the reconstruction of the plant 81 years ago, a modernist brick pumping station was founded where the entire equipment of the steam traffic of the pump station has been preserved on former work-stands. This includes, inter alia: pump units, turbines and compressors from 1925.