Engine Room of Shaft “Julia”

One of the stops on the tour of the Stara Kopalnia Science, Culture and Art Centre in Wałbrzych is the historic engine room, which houses two electric winding machines, among the first of their kind in European mining. Their mechanical parts were manufactured in 1911 by Donnersmarckhütte from Zabrze, the motors and their fittings were supplied by the Berlin giant Siemens-Schuckertwerke, and the load-bearing parts by Främbs & Freudenberg from Świdnica. These are machines with single-groove Koepe pulley wheels, 5000 mm in diameter, where the hoisting ropes run over the drive wheels, and the movement of the cages is achieved through friction between the ropes and the linings of the drive pulleys, which are turned by electric motors. The DC converters of the winding machines were also made by Siemens-Schuckertwerke of Berlin.

Time has stood still in this place. Visitors are captivated by the original floor tiles, wainscoting, cast-iron radiators at the operators’ stations, and the historic overhead cranes produced by Carlshütte of Wałbrzych. The building also contains a collection of tachographs and shaft indicators from the former engine rooms of Wałbrzych’s shafts.

During its operation, the engine room of Julia shaft was reserved only for a close circle of specialists who operated the multi-ton winding machines. Today it is a place open to all visitors. The massive winding machines and the converters are among the main attractions of the tour, illustrating the meaning of the concept of “monument of technology”.

Since 2016, the “Sound Engine Room” has also been operating in the engine room. Here, using interactive panels, visitors compose their own melodies based on the sounds of the machines working in the mines.