Solivar Prešov – National Cultural Monument

Solivar in Prešov It is one of the most significant industrial heritage sites in Slovakia and is unique of its kind throughout Central Europe. It is a unique complex of industrial buildings used for pumping and boiling salt from brine, with a history dating back to the 17th century. The preserved site of the „Old Saltworks“, with its massive salt pan, wooden brine tanks and imposing salt storehouse, is now a national cultural monument and a reminder of an era when Prešov salt was more valuable than gold.

What is Solivar?

Solivar Prešov is a unique complex of technical structures for extracting and boiling salt from brine, dating back to the 17th century. The facilities for extracting rock salt and pumping brine include, in particular, the Leopold shaft, brine reservoirs, a smelter, a boiling house, salt storage chambers, blacksmith’s workshops and a salt-tapping tower.

The Leopold Shaft and the Gápeľ

The Leopold Pit was the central mining structure and is considered to be the oldest. Excavation work began in 1571. It is a 155-metre-deep pit, originally known as the Imperial Pit. In 1674, a pump house was built above it. Both the building itself and the mechanism required major repairs (the first in 1807, the second in 1844). The mechanism was driven by four pairs of horses. The brine was drawn up in leather buckets with a capacity of 5–7 hl. The Solivar windmill was one of the largest in Central Europe.

Modernisation since the 19th century

The tanks for storing the extracted brine were built in 1815. On stone plinths stand eight wooden tanks, each with a capacity of 1,320 hl, totalling 10,560 hl. All the tanks formed a single unit and were housed under one roof, their design adapted to the terrain. The brine was fed into the storage tanks from the settling tank via wooden pipes leading from the Leopold shaft. From the lowest-lying tank, the brine was channelled into the preheating tank and then into the evaporation pan.

At the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, two brewhouses were built – František and Ferdinand (demolished in 1931). The František salt works has not survived in its original form; it was burnt to the ground in a fire in 1819. Brine was poured into the evaporation pan; the crystallised salt was scooped out and transferred to the draining chambers, where it was left for about 24 hours. It was then moved via wooden chutes to the drying rooms and, after eight or more hours, transferred to the store or dispatched.

The salt store and the salt shaker

The salt was transported from the boiling house to the storehouse along rails in small wooden trolleys. The salt storehouse, in its original form, was structurally completed around 1825 and was, in essence, the most architecturally impressive building in the entire complex. It burnt down on 18 May 1986 – the unique timber truss structure of the roof was destroyed by fire. For the sake of completeness, we should mention the turna – a bell tower which, in earlier times, served as a work bell. It stands on a hillock (embankment). By striking a board, the start of the working day and other significant or extraordinary events were signalled to the miners. It ceased to fulfil this function after the First World War.

The unique „Old Saltworks“

The „Starý solivar“ saltworks complex, dating from the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, has been preserved as a unique technical monument, unrivalled in Slovakia by any other technical monument of its kind. We owe its construction and prosperity in no small part to the Habsburgs’ governmental and commercial strategy – it was built with the assistance of imperial experts and the craftsmanship of the local population.

In 2016, a building at the Solivar National Cultural Monument – a salt store that had been in ruins since a fire in 1986 – was opened to the general public. It no longer serves its original purpose, but has been transformed into an interesting, functional space with a variety of uses. The renovated building features a large, historically significant central hall, from which visitors can access the individual rooms – the former salt chambers – divided into a museum section, a conference area and a service area. The warehouse tower, complete with a working clock and bell, has also been restored.

A visit to Solivar

The Solivar Prešov National Cultural Monument complex is situated on Námestie osloboditeľov in the Prešov-Solivar district. Guided tours of the complex and its exhibitions are provided by Solivar Museum – Slovak Technical Museum, which offers a number of guided tours with expert commentary. You can find the current opening hours, admission prices and information about the tours on the official website Solivar Museums.

Tips for other sights in Prešov

Solivar Prešov is not the only landmark in the city. You can combine a visit there with a tour of the city’s other historical landmarks. A prominent feature of the city centre that cannot be missed is St. Nicholas Cathedral with a viewing tower; a short distance away stands a magnificent Cathedral Church of St. John the Baptist and Baroque Church of St. Joseph. A charming section of the town’s former fortifications has survived Florian's Gate, a reminder of the town’s technical history is Water Tower and for a spiritual experience as well as the view, it’s well worth climbing up to Calvary. Thanks to the wealth of sights, it’s easy to plan a full day’s itinerary in Prešov.

Source: OOCR RŠ
Source of photographs: OOCR RŠ