Museum

During the Turkish occupation, the Kerka Watermill is mentioned several times in texts as a key industrial structure in the region. This was the period in time when the economy of the Kerka Valley began to grow, as more and more watermills were built around the creeks. It was the golden age of the Kerka Watermill, since the local nobility developed the building by augmenting its capacity. The currently visible Baroque structure was built around the first decade of the 18^th century. Millers working here were drafted in tax registers based upon the amount they paid, so we know a good number of them by name. In the 19^th century, the watermill belonged to the domains of the noble Andrássy family, and it was marked on several maps as well. It was working constantly until the nationalization in 1952, after that its fate has taken a radical turn. First, it was developed by installing electric lights and turbines, but its production ceased in 1963, when a decision was made to divert the stream of the Kerka River, so it no longer turned the wheels and the mill became redundant. The building was left there abandoned, its waterwheels rotted away or disappeared. The new millennium brought hope to the watermill, because in 2002, the Kerka Watermill Foundation purchased the building and started a proper restoration works that finished in 2006. They’ve managed to reconstruct 3 waterwheels, each one 5 meter in diameter that once rotated the 3 mill-wheels. Currently, the building functions as an exhibition hall, while safeguarding its original style and beauty.