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Treadmill water well from Góry Pińczowskie
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The community treadmill-operated water well from the village of Góry Pińczowskie (Michałów municipality) was built around 1850 on the initiative of the landowner, Dembiński (Nieczuja coat-of-arms), the owner of Góry and the neighbouring village of Polichno. From archival accounts it is known that a little later three similar wells were built in the vicinity. The wells were able to draw water as deep as 70 metres below ground level. It was necessary because the village of Góry was situated on a rocky ridge, which for obvious reasons made it impossible to dig traditional wells.
The well consists of three basic elements: a deep water well lined with stone, measuring 1.5 metres in diameter (together with the wooden casing on the surface), a treadmill driven by two horses and a structure sheltering the well.
The treadmill consists of a wooden drum rotating around an oak wood post, known as ”the king post”, shafts to which horses were harnessed, guide rollers and 70 metres of hemp rope dropped down the well with two large wooden stave buckets attached to its end.
The structure sheltering the well and the treadmill consists of two different architectural elements: a quadrilateral deep water well and an octagonal structure sheltering the driving and transmission mechanisms. The entire structure is covered by a common shingle roof. The building walls have a wooden framework structure, with boarding from large beams.
The well was the communal property of the entire village, and was used until 1978. Water was drawn from it three times a day.
The treadmill water well is one of the most interesting and most precious pieces of traditional vernacular architecture in the Ethnographic Park in Tokarnia.