Graduation towers (Ciechocinek)
The graduation towers in Ciechocinek are three graduation buildings that were built in the 19th century in Ciechocinek in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship , Poland. They are the largest wooden structure of this type in Europe. The building complex consisting of the graduation towers, the salt works and the Tężniowy and Zdrojowy parks is one of the Polish historical monuments.
history
The graduation towers were designed by Jakob Graff, professor at the Kielce Mining Academy. They originated at the brine springs, which only became known here in the second half of the 18th century; However, the local population had already dealt with salt production and salt boiling in the 13th century on the basis of a permit from Konrad of Mazovia .
The graduation tower no. 1 with a length of 648 meters and a capacity of 5000–5800 m² and the graduation tower no. 2 with a length of 719 meters and a capacity of approx. 6000–6300 m² were built in the years 1824–1828. The graduation tower No. 3 with a length of 333 meters and a capacity of approx. 2900 mᶟ was built in 1859. The basis of the graduation tower is formed by around 7000 oak posts driven into the ground on which a spruce and pine structure is located, filled with blackthorn where the brine flows down. The graduation towers are set up in the shape of a horseshoe, each 15.8 meters high and their total area is 1741.5 meters. The brine with a salt content of 5.8% is pumped out of spring no. 11 (the so-called Grzybek fountain) and pressed into special containers at the top of the graduation tower. The brine drips through the blackthorn and evaporates under the influence of wind and sun, creating a microclimate that is rich in iodine, sodium, chlorine and bromine. This creates a natural therapeutic inhaler here.
The graduation towers form the second stage of the salt production process, in which the salt concentration of the brine increases gradually. The lowest salt concentration is 9% on the graduation tower no.1, on the graduation tower no.3 it is 16% and the highest salt concentration of 30% is on the graduation tower no.2. From there the brine flows through the pipelines to the salt works (third stage of salt production) where salt, salt mud and healing brine are produced. In the first stage of the salt production process, the brine is pumped from spring no. 11 “ Grzybek Well”. The graduation works also act like a huge air filter. In 1996 radioactive cesium isotopes (Cs-134 and Cs-137) from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster (1986) were discovered in the mud and salt from the graduation towers in Ciechocinek , but their concentration was not hazardous to health.
In 2017, the graduation towers, the saltworks and the Tężniowy and Zdrojowy parks were entered in the list of Polish historical monuments.
In 2019, the Ciechocinek health resort received a grant of 15 million zlotys from European funds for the renovation of the graduation towers (total renovation costs: 21.6 million zlotys).
The project "Modernization and expansion of the infrastructure of the graduation tower in Ciechocinek" includes the renovation of the graduation tower No. 1 (replacement of black thorn), the graduation tower No. 3 (general renovation: replacement of structural parts and reinforcement of foundations) and the building of the brine pumping station as well the paths and the area around the graduation towers and the brine pumping station. Gardening work will also be carried out on green areas and an installation will be set up to illuminate the graduation towers. The work is to last from March 2020 to December 2021 and began with the graduation tower No. 3.
gallery
Graduation tower no.3
Graduation tower No. 1
Graduation tower No. 2
Individual evidence
- ↑ HL 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)
- ↑ 11 nowych Pomników Historii. Retrieved July 13, 2020 (Polish).
- ↑ Tężnie w Ciechocinku będą remontowane za prawie 22 mln zł. Retrieved July 13, 2020 (Polish).
- ↑ Tężnie w Ciechocinku do remontu. Za prawie 22 mln zł. Retrieved July 13, 2020 (Polish).