Old Water Wheel Certovka Canal - Prague, Czech Republic
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ToRo61
N 50° 05.178 E 014° 24.450
33U E 457613 N 5548394
Old Water Wheel Certovka Canal
Waymark Code: WM18A07
Location: Hlavní město Praha, Czechia
Date Posted: 06/25/2023
Views: 0
We have already spotted the water mill wheel when looking from Charles Bridge. This puzzle brings it within our reach. The water wheel served as the power source for the former water mill. The metal rods fences mounted on the bridge are a renowned spot for loves locks.
"The Certovka is a very picturesque man-made channel on the western side of the Vltava river in Prague. The name can be translated as the Devil‘s Stream of Devil‘s Channel. The construction of the canal has created an artificial island in Prague. This island between the Certovka and the Vltava is called Kampa and it is quite an interesting place in its own right.
The Certovka was created by the Knights Hospitaller in the Middle Ages. The purpose of the canal was providing a regulated water flow for the mills that would be built along its course. Three of those watermills have survived to this day.
The best known of them is the Grand Priory Mill (Velkoprevorský mlýn). It is visible from Charles Bridge; on the left side – if you’re going towards Prague Castle. The name of the mill refers to the Grand Priory of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, a.k.a. Knights Hospitaller. An alternative name of the watermill is the Maltese Mill (Maltézský mlýn). It was also known as the Stephen’s Mill (Štepánovský mlýn), as its owner in the 16th century was a miller named Štepán (Stephen).
The Grand Priory Mill doesn’t serve its original purpose anymore. The wheel is a reconstruction and its function is purely decorative nowadays. The building has been the seat of several Czech companies in the recent history."
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