A Békés Megyei Múzeumok Közleményei 2. (Békéscsaba, 1973)

Erdélyi Zoltánné–Sisa Béla: A szarvasi szárazmalom műemléki helyreállítása

and the commencement of its delivery abroad, all ensured a temporary prosperity for the horse-driven mills. Their number increased rapidly in the 1850's. There were still few steammills operating in that period, but at the beginning of the 20th century the number of steammills increased to such an extent that the horse-driven mills could not compete with them. At the request of the Directorate of the Békés County Museums, the National Monument Advisory Board prepared a plan for the restoration of the horse-driven mill as a monument in 1969. (The architect-designer of the restoration was Béla Sisa, and the ethnographic and historical treatment of the mill was prepared by Mrs. Z. Erdélyi.) Since its construction 130 years previously, the double horse-driven mill had been repaired or reconstructed on several occasions. The last repair of the remaining single mill had taken place about 10 years before, but during this period all of the structures of the mill had seriously deteriorated and had become unsuitable for further use. The task of the restoration was complete technical renewal (taking into consideration the ancient-monument principles) and the putting of the mill in working order. The horse-driven mill was restored in accordance with the requirements of the owners, and subsequent to the restoration will function as a museum. The horse-driven mill consists of a circling pavilion, a mill-house and a repair-shop. During the restoration, the outbuildings which had been added to the mill at a later date, and which were architecturally and historically of no value, were demolished. The supporting columns of the circling pavilion had become unsuitable for further load-bearing, and nine of these colums therefore had to be exchanged. Similarly, strengthening of the masonry of the mill-house had to be carried out, and here the original aperture-closing structures were re-installed. For reasons of technical necessity, about half of the roof structure had to be replaced. The brick supporting-columns of the circling pavilion were plastered and the adobe masonry of the mill-house was rebuilt, and these were then lime-washed three times. The shell of the roofing was prepared from shingle in accordance with the original covering. The finial of the circling pavilion was reconstructed on the basis of analogous examples. An effort was made to restore the interior of the mill-house uniformly. The structure of the horse-driven mill had remained comparatively sound, and thus only adjustment was necessary. Also exhibited on the site attached to the horse-driven mill are the horse's stall, the draw-well and the maize-barn. The restoration of this horse-driven mill means the preservation for posterity of one of the most important industrial-historical monuments in Hungary. 162