I saw a lot of interesting things in Apatin when I was at my first Hive Meetup
.
Walking along the coastal part of the Danube, in the company of Hivers, I listened to the story of Liberland, which is very interesting and which I will tell you one day 🙂
While we were driving along the embankment, my attention was drawn to signs with the names of coastal settlements, and one sign pointed to Harčaš čarda, a restaurant under renovation.
I asked the hosts to explain to me where this name for čarda came from and what it means.
The name comes from the Hungarian word for catfish, which at some point inhabited the Danube to a large extent, and is an abbreviation of the name of the Harčaški canal, which actually represents the old course of the Danube.
And what kind of channel is it and what was it for?
The old course of the Danube is today part of the "Gornje podunavlje" nature park.
The canal is filled with water during high water levels, and the southern part of the canal (this place that I have circled in the picture) is connected via a pumping station to the Danube River, and at that point the water flows into the Danube when the water level starts to drop.
The canal was separated from the Danube by the construction of the embankment along which we passed by car.
On one part of the embankment, a large valve caught my eye.
As they told me, it is probably part of the system of the nearby Kučka pumping station.
Um, so why not take a tour of it?
The unusual, tall, creeper-covered building is actually the chimney of the pumping station, which was put into use at the end of the 19th century and which today represents a cultural monument and an immovable cultural asset.
Is it in this bad condition, with warning tapes, which warn visitors of the danger? A shame.
Instead of being a reconstructed facility that will attract tourists, it now attracts only curious urban explorers.
And a little braver.
As I later read, the complex was represented by this tall chimney, the main building that housed the workshop and mechanical plant, residential buildings where the employees lived, a channel for draining excess water from the nearby fields into the Danube, the above-mentioned valve for opening and closing the constitution depending on the water level of the Danube, as well as a closed well with a winch.
I recognized the constitution valve.
Chimney too.
But a closed winch well, no.
I only came across this open well with dark, almost black water. It's probably that well, but its roof and winch collapsed.
In order not to fall into this black water, I was not allowed to get too close to him.
I didn't recognize the apartment buildings, but I did recognize the engine room with the holes in the floors that used to house the steam-powered pumps.
I don't know what this open part of the building could have been (probably not the courtyard), where there is a roof with a hole looking towards the sky.
Which is otherwise in very good structural condition.
It is made with double "biber (pepper)" tile, and it is one of the most durable and will stand until the structure gives way.
I couldn't stay too long inside, there were a lot of warning tapes around me, so I decided to go back to safety, outside the facility, where the other Hivers were waiting for me after taking a few photos.
This station and the story about its history and the function it had before, while steam-powered pumps pumped water from the canal into the Danube on the one hand, and on the other hand, expelled smoke and water vapor through a tall chimney, seemed interesting to me, and considering that I was engaged in research work (although perhaps a little dangerous), of an object that perhaps does not deserve to be called urban, I still decided to share the story in the #urbanexploration community.
