The territory of the geopark is characterized by a significant representation of technical monuments. The development of industry was also linked to the creation of industrial and residential buildings. We can also find here many documents of high-quality village architecture (often with preserved architectural elements from slate) and other types of immovable monuments - churches and chapels, town houses and noble residences, archaeological sites, etc.
The high number of windmills is related to the landscape character of the area, in historical chronicles the area of the Oder Mountains is referred to as "Moravian Holland". There are 5 windmills accessible to the public in the Slate Country, two of them have also preserved the mill technology. There are both Dutch and German type windmills in the Land of Slate. The smallest Dutch-type mill in the Czech Republic is located near the village of Spálov! In 2021, it was nominated for the most photogenic place in the Moravian-Silesian Region. Water mills are represented by the Wesselsky Water Mill in Loučky u Oder.
The landscape also has an influence on the development of a relatively new segment of tourism - the so-called lookout tourism. The high plains with far-reaching views contributed to the boom in the construction of observation towers and viewpoints. These tourist destinations contribute to the development of tourism in the area and are a suitable additional infrastructure of geolocations.
The border of the European watershed of two river basins passes through the territory of the geopark - the Oder Basin draining water into the Baltic Sea and the Danube Basin draining water into the Black Sea. In the Oder Hills rises the European great stream - the Odra River.
Weisshuhn Canal
The unique 3.5 km long waterworks is located near the village of Žimrovice. The water works are carried out on the slopes of the rocky hills bordering the valley of the Moravice river. The canal contains three water tunnels and two aqueducts. The bold work was carried out in 1890 by the founder of the Žimrovice paper mills, prominent Silesian businessman Karel Weisshuhn. The drive was used to float wood to the Žimrovica paper mills, and the water of the canal also powered turbines for electricity production. There is a red tourist sign around the drive. The employees of the Tourist Information Center in Hradec nad Moravicí regularly organize guided field trips.
Wesselsky Water Mill
The cultural monument Vodní mlýn Wesselsky is located in Loučky Municipality, 3 km from the town of Odra. It lies on the right bank of the Odra River, and the water drive to it stretches all the way from Jakubčovice n. Odra. In the mill, almost complete mill technology, a functional mill wheel with a diameter of 3.6 m and a renewed transmission for driving agricultural machinery have been preserved. In the water mill, it is possible to stay in a cycling hostel or in stylish, historical rooms. There are regular guided tours here. The entire area of the mill has roofs covered with slate – on several buildings, the original, low-pitched roof.
In the past, there were up to 900 windmills on the territory of the Czech lands, of which 700 were in Moravia. The plateau of Nízké Jeseník in the basin of the upper course of the Odra River was even called Moravian Holland. The Choltice windmill was also located in this line. Windmills were more of a supplementary type of grinding and were created mainly where watercourses were not available or did not have sufficient power and a regular and sufficient flow.
A German-type windmill was built by Augustin Foltýn in 1833 in the nearby village of Sádek. Later, however, he dismantled it and sold it to František Romfeld from Choltic. In 1878, the mill was moved to its current location and rebuilt. This was not unusual at the time. In Moravia and Silesia, wooden mills predominated and were often moved to a more suitable location due to poor earnings or bad weather conditions. He often decided to move for marriage or other social reasons.
The Romfeld family owned the mill until 1981, when they sold it to the municipality of Litultovice, and again after 1992, when they bought it back from the municipality. Since 2019, the mill once again belongs to the Litultovics. The windmill ground grain into flour until World War II. After her, until 1954, he just scrapped. The mill gradually fell into disrepair, but in 1958 it received historic protection and the most necessary repairs were carried out. In 1969, the mill underwent a complete reconstruction, it was fenced, and Mr. Ludvík Pavelek became the administrator of the windmill, who took care of it until 1992, when the Romfeld family took over the mill again.
The mill has a floor plan of 5.9 x 6.5 m, and reaches a height of 12.3 m, of which 5 m is on the gable roof. The wall on which the wings are located is covered with shingle boards. The wind wheel with a wing area of 12 m2 and a wind wheel diameter of 17.3 m is the largest in our country. The mill is equipped with complete and original technology, so it is among the best preserved windmills in our country.
The mill is a cultural monument and is located near the village of Partutovice. This is a windmill of the German (ram) type. It has the shape of a wooden quadrilateral prism, and the whole structure rotates against the wind, even with its wings. The existence of the mill dates back to 1837, parts of the older mill were also used for construction, as evidenced by the dating from 1783 on one of the beams. The complete mill technology is preserved in the mill. Flour, barley semolina was milled here, and grits were also scrapped. A tour of the mill must be ordered in advance. Next to the mill there is a popular snack "Kiosk at the Windmill".
On the outskirts of the picturesque village of Spálov, there is the smallest Dutch-type windmill in the Czech Republic. The structure has a diameter of only 3.2 meters at the ground. Grinding was carried out in this mill until 1938, after which the building fell into disrepair for many years. In 2007, the mill was completely renovated. The technology of the mill has not been preserved, today an exhibition dedicated to the history of milling is installed in the interior. The keys to the mill are available at the office of the town of Spálov.
