Ciechocinek graduation towers

Last updated
Graduation tower No. III topped with a windmill Teznia - Ciechocinek.JPG
Graduation tower No. III topped with a windmill

The Ciechocinek graduation towers are a complex of three brine graduation towers, erected in the nineteenth century in Ciechocinek, in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland. They constitute the largest wooden structure of this type in Europe. The complex of graduation towers and salt breweries, together with two surrounding parks, are designated as a Historic Monument.

Contents

History

The towers were designed by Jakub Graff, professor of the Mining Academy in Kielce, based on the brine sources discovered here back in the second half of the eighteenth century, although the local community extracted and brewed salt as early as in the thirteenth century under the permissions given by Konrad I Mazowiecki.

The 648-metre-long (2,126 ft) graduation tower I ( 52°53′09″N18°47′08″E / 52.8858°N 18.7855°E / 52.8858; 18.7855 (Graduation tower I) ), with a capacity of 5,000–5,800 cubic metres (180,000–200,000 cu ft) and the 719-metre-long (2,359 ft) graduation tower II ( 52°53′14″N18°46′47″E / 52.8873°N 18.7797°E / 52.8873; 18.7797 (Graduation tower II) ), with a capacity of 6,000–6,300 cubic metres (210,000–220,000 cu ft), were built between 1824 and 1828. The 333-metre-long (1,093 ft) graduation tower III ( 52°53′23″N18°46′52″E / 52.8896°N 18.7811°E / 52.8896; 18.7811 (Graduation tower IIII) ), with a capacity of 2,900 cubic metres (100,000 cu ft), was built in 1859. The base of the towers is made up of 7000 oak piles driven into the ground, on which a spruce-and-pine structure planted with blackthorn was placed, where brine flows. The towers are arranged in the shape of a horseshoe with a total length of 1,741.5 metres (5,714 ft); each is 15.8 metres (52 ft) high. The brine with a concentration of 5.8% is pumped a depth of 414.58 metres (1,360.2 ft) in spring No. 11 (the so-called Grzybek fountain) into dedicated channels at the top of the graduation towers. The brine seeps on the walls of the towers, on the blackthorn, and evaporates under the influence of wind and sun, creating a microclimate rich in iodine, sodium, chlorine and bromine, thanks to which a natural healing inhalatorium developed.

The towers are the second stage in the salt production process, where the brine concentration is gradually increased. The smallest concentration occurs at tower No. I (9%); the brine concentration increases at tower No. III (16%) and becomes greatest at tower No. II (30%). From the latter, the brine flows in pipelines to the salt-brewing plant (the third stage of salt production) where salt, sludge and therapeutic lye are produced. The first stage in the process of salt production is pumping brine from the source No. 11 "Grzybek fountain". The graduation towers also act as a giant air filter. In 1996, radioactive caesium isotopes (Cs-134 and Cs-137) from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster (1986) were detected in the sludge and salt from the towers; however, their concentration in these products did not pose a threat to human health. [1]

In 2017, the complex of graduation towers and salt breweries, together with the Tężniowy and Zdrojowy parks, was entered on the list of Historic Monuments. [2]

In 2019, the Ciechocinek Health Resort obtained PLN 15 million from European funds for the renovation of the graduation towers (total cost of the project: 21.6 million). The project "Modernization and extension of the infrastructure of the graduation tower complex in Ciechocinek" includes renovation of tower No. I (replacement of blackthorn), tower No. III (general overhaul: replacement of structural elements and reinforcement of foundations) and the brine-pumping-station building, as well as paths and areas near the towers and the pumping station. Gardening work will also be carried out, and an installation to illuminate the towers at night will be constructed. [3] The work, scheduled from March 2020 to December 2021, [4] started with tower No. III.

Related Research Articles

Brine A highly concentrated solution of a salt in water

Brine is a high-concentration solution of salt (NaCl) in water (H2O). In different contexts, brine may refer to salt solutions ranging from about 3.5% (a typical concentration of seawater, on the lower end of solutions used for brining foods) up to about 26% (a typical saturated solution, depending on temperature). Lower levels of concentration are called by different names: fresh water, brackish water, and saline water.

Graduation tower structure used in salt production which increases the concentration of a saline solution by evaporation

A graduation tower is a structure used in the production of salt which removes water from a saline solution by evaporation, increasing its concentration of mineral salts. The tower consists of a wooden wall-like frame stuffed with bundles of brushwood which have to be changed about every 5 to 10 years as they become encrusted with mineral deposits over time. The salt water runs down the tower and partly evaporates; at the same time some minerals from the solution are left behind on the brushwood twigs.

Lake Qaraoun lake in Lebanon

Lake Qaraoun is an artificial lake or reservoir located in the southern region of the Beqaa Valley, Lebanon. It was created near Qaraoun village in 1959 by building a 61-metre-high (200 ft) concrete-faced rockfill dam in the middle reaches of the Litani River. The reservoir has been used for hydropower generation, domestic water supply, and for irrigation of 27,500 hectares.

Split Rock Dam dam in North West Slopes, New South Wales

Split Rock Dam is a minor ungated concrete faced rock fill embankment dam with concrete chute spillway across the Manilla River upstream of Manilla in the north-western slopes region of New South Wales, Australia. The dam's purpose includes flood mitigation, irrigation, water supply and conservation. The impounded reservoir is called Split Rock Reservoir.

Éolienne Bollée wind turbine type

The Éolienne Bollée is an unusual wind turbine, unique for having a stator and a rotor, as a water turbine has. The eponymous invention was first patented in 1868 by Ernest Sylvain Bollée in France. A further patent dated 1885 differed mainly in two ways: First, in how the turbine was turned to face the wind and second, in an improvement which increased the flow of wind through the turbine was added. The turbines built according to the 1885 patent were commercially successful.

Asse II mine former salt mine; deep geological repository in Lower Saxony, Germany

The Asse II mine is a former salt mine used as a deep geological repository for radioactive waste in the Asse Mountains of Wolfenbüttel, Lower Saxony, Germany.

Okutataragi Pumped Storage Power Station dam in Asago, Hyōgo, Japan

The Okutataragi Pumped Storage Power Station is a large pumped-storage hydroelectric power station in Asago, in the Hyōgo Prefecture of Japan. With a total installed capacity of 1,932 megawatts (2,591,000 hp), it is one of the largest pumped-storage power stations in the world, and the largest in Japan. The facility is currently run by the Kansai Electric Power Company.

Vacuum truck tank truck with a pump designed to load material through suction lines

A vacuum truck or vacuum tanker is a tank truck that has a pump and a tank. The pump is designed to pneumatically suck liquids, sludges, slurries, or the like from a location into the tank of the truck. The objective is to enable transport of the liquid material via road to another location. Vacuum trucks transport the collected material to a treatment or disposal site, for example a sewage treatment plant.

The Sülze Saltworks was a 'saline', or saltworks, on the Lüneburg Heath in Germany which was worked for centuries, from the High Middle Ages to 1862. It had a considerable impact on the history of the village of Sülze and other heath villages in the area.

Cotter Dam dam in Australian Capital Territory, Australia

The Cotter Dam is a concrete gravity and rockfill embankment dam across the Cotter River, located in the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. The impounded reservoir is called the Cotter Reservoir which is a supply source of potable water for the city of Canberra and its environs.

Kannagawa Hydropower Plant dam in Nagano Prefecture and Gunma Prefecture

The Kannagawa Hydropower Plant (神流川発電所) is an under construction pumped-storage hydroelectric power plant near Minamiaiki in Nagano Prefecture and Ueno in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. The power plant utilizes the Minamiaiki River along with an upper and lower reservoir created by two dams, the upper Minamiaiki Dam and the lower Ueno Dam. The power station in between the two dams will contain six 470 megawatts (630,000 hp) pump-generators for a total installed capacity of 2,820 megawatts (3,780,000 hp). Unit 1 commenced commercial operation in 2005 and Unit 2 in 2012. When completed, the plant will have the second-largest pumped-storage power capacity in the world.

Tianhuangping Pumped Storage Power Station dam in Tianhuangping, Anji County of Zhejiang Province, China

The Tianhuangping Pumped Storage Power Station is a pumped-storage power station in Tianhuangping, Anji County of Zhejiang Province, China. The power station has an installed capacity of 1,836 megawatts (2,462,000 hp) utilizing 6 reversible Francis turbines. Construction began in 1993 and the power station was completed in 2004.

Aras Dam dam in Poldasht, Nakhchivan

The Aras Dam is an embankment dam on the Aras River along the border of Iran and Azerbaijan. It is located downstream of Poldasht in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran and Nakhchivan City in Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, Azerbaijan. The primary purpose of the dam is hydroelectric power production and water supply.

Punchiná Dam dam in San Carlos

The Punchiná Dam is an embankment dam on the Guatapé River 17 kilometres (11 mi) east of San Carlos in Antioquia Department, Colombia. The dam creates Punchiná Reservoir which is part of the 1,240 megawatts (1,660,000 hp) San Carlos Hydroelectric Power Plant. The power plant was completed in two 620 megawatts (830,000 hp) stages, the first was completed in 1984 and the second in 1987. It is the largest power station in Colombia.

Okuyoshino Pumped Storage Power Station dam in Totsukawa

The Okuyoshino Pumped Storage Power Station (奥吉野発電所) is located 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) north of Totsukawa in Nara Prefecture, Japan. Using the pumped-storage hydroelectric method, the power plant has an installed capacity of 1,206 megawatts (1,617,000 hp). To accomplish power generation, the power station shifts water between two reservoirs, the lower Asahi Reservoir and the upper Seto Reservoir. Construction on both the Asahi and Seto Dams began in 1971 and was complete in 1978. The power station was commissioned in 1980. Due to heavy sediment and turbidity in the Seto Reservoir, caused by logging and landslides upstream, a sediment bypass tunnel was constructed between 1992 and 1998.

Dikgatlhong Dam

The Dikgatlhong Dam is a dam near the village of Robelela on the Shashe River in Botswana, completed in December 2011. When full it will hold 400,000,000 cubic metres (1.4×1010 cu ft). The next largest dam in Botswana, the Gaborone Dam, has capacity of 141,000,000 cubic metres (5.0×109 cu ft).

Fitzroy Falls Dam

Fitzroy Falls Dam in New South Wales, Australia, is part of the Shoalhaven Scheme, completed in 1974. It consists of four separate earth and rockfill embankments located on the Yarrunga Creek upstream of Fitzroy Falls and about 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) southeast of Moss Vale. The main embankment of 760 cubic metres (27,000 cu ft) is 14 metres (46 ft) high and 1,530 metres (5,020 ft) in length. At 100% capacity, the dam wall holds back approximately 9,950 megalitres of water, creating the impounded Fitzroy Falls Reservoir, which has a surface area of 522 hectares, drawn from a catchment area of 31 square kilometres (12 sq mi). The spillway has a discharge capacity of 516 cubic metres per second (18,200 cu ft/s).

Vorotan Cascade dam in Tatev

The Vorotan Cascade, or the ContourGlobal™ Hydro Cascade, is a cascade on the Vorotan River in Syunik Province, Armenia. It was built to produce hydroelectric power and provide irrigation water. The Vorotan Cascade consists of three hydroelectric power plants and five reservoirs with a combined installed capacity of 404.2 MW. It is one of the main power generation complexes in Armenia.

Afrin Dam dam in Afrin Canton

The Afrin Dam, officially 17 April Dam, also called Maydanki Dam, is an earth-filled water storage and hydroelectric power dam on the Afrin River in northwest Syria. It provides drinking water to almost 200,000 people, irrigates about 30,000 hectares of olives, fruit trees and agricultural crops, and supplies 25 MW of hydroelectric power.

Bad Salzelmen human settlement in Germany

Bad Salzelmen has been a district of Schönebeck (Elbe) since 1932 and is a state-approved spa in the Salzlandkreis in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It was founded in 1894 when the towns of Groß Salze and Elmen merged to form the town of Groß Salze. The town of Groß Salze was renamed Bad Salzelmen in 1926.

References

  1. ↑ H. L. Oczkowski, i inni (1996) Chernobyl fall out in salt from Ciechocinek, Poland. Radiation Measurements 26(5): 743-745. (DOI:10.1016/S1350-4487(97)82890-9)
  2. ↑ "11 nowych Pomników Historii" (in Polish).
  3. ↑ "Tężnie w Ciechocinku będą remontowane za prawie 22 mln zł" (in Polish).
  4. ↑ "Tężnie w Ciechocinku do remontu. Za prawie 22 mln zł" (in Polish).
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.