Malá vodní elektrárna

My childhood.

This power plant, which was originally called the Orlická power plant (similar to the power plant on the Elbe near Hučák Labská), was built in 1920-1921 on the right bank of the river Orlice between Malšovice and Silesian Suburbs, where there was an old wooden weir called Mlejnek (built within regulation of this river in the years 1908-1913) and on the bank of the so-called Devil's Mill, which burned down on October 13, 1918. At the end of the following year, the widow Anna Korbelová offered its incinerator with an area of ​​about 4 crowns of meadows, all water rights, watering the town of Hradec Králové for the corner house on Jánské náměstí, which it sold again in 1924. The author of the external appearance of the power plant, which was established as the third in a row (1908-1910 Hučák, 1913-1914 Moravský jez, 1920-1921 Mlejnek), was the architect Oldřich Liska. On December 30, 1919, a commission was established by the provincial political administration to discuss the request of the city of Hradec Králové to build a new power plant on the banks of the Orlice with 1 Francis turbine for normal water and 2 other turbines so that more water could be used. A financial loan for the construction was provided by Spořitelna Královéhradecká. By decree of the provincial political administration of 7 January 1920, the town was granted a water permit to use Orlice water power up to 32 m3 per second and to establish a turbine-powered hydroelectric power plant on plot no. 916/3 in Silesian Suburbs on the site of existing water works, ie mills No. 1 in Malšovice and No. 48 in the Silesian Suburbs. On January 12 of the same year, the city council approved the purchase of a weir at the mill in Orlice and a weir at the mill in Malšovice from A. Korbelová. CZK 475,000 was to be paid in cash, as well as a house in Hradec Králové No. 89 worth CZK 180,000 and a discount on the price of electricity (price for large customers). On March 31, 1920, the city council approved the acquisition of 1 turbine, 4 sluices, 2 flywheels and 3 generators at the Prague company Kolben. Two turbines were ordered from the Prokop company in Pardubice and the substructure was commissioned by the Novák - Khaml - Jirásek builders' association. The digging of the foundations on the site of the burnt Devil's Mill began on April 8, 1920. During it, a number of well-preserved wooden piles came, which came either from an old buried weir or on which the mentioned mill stood. A water permit was granted for it on 31 May 1920. The construction of this power plant cost CZK 6,188,000 (the total investment of all three power plants was CZK 8,091,000, excluding the water rights of the Elbe and Orlice in the city), which was eventually equipped with a pair of large water turbines. 150 kVA each (Prokop turbines) and one 190 kVA normal water turbine (Kolben turbine). This division was made on the basis of experience from the previous 2 power plants, where the local large-water turbines had to be set up slightly higher than they were, so as not to wade at the higher water condition for which they are intended. In the years 1923-1928, moreover, the company was Ing. Benedikt built the existing weir as part of the regulatory work on the Orlice alterations. However, these works were not directed by the city, but by the Provincial Commission for the Modification of Rivers. Let us add here that the weir on Mlejnka, together with the Malšovice mill, was mentioned as early as 1607. In 1946, it was discovered that the substructures of the hydroelectric power plant were damaged and had a number of cracks. The complete reconstruction was carried out by the company Bři Fr. and Jos. Nováková in the years 1948-1949. During this reconstruction, 2 original Francis turbines from the Prokop company were replaced by Kaplan turbines and fitted with new generators. Today, the weir is owned by the Czech Republic, its administration is performed by the state-owned company Povodí Labe and the small hydroelectric power plant is the property of the 1st Power Engineering Company with its registered office in České Budějovice.