Balassa M. Iván, Cseri Miklós szerk.: Népi építészet Erdélyben - Az 1999. március 21-27-én Tusnádon megrendezett konferencia anyaga (Szentendre: Szabadtéri Néprajzi Múzeum, 1999)

Balázs György-Vajkai Zsófia: Horizontális vízimalmok Erdélyben és Portugáliában (Egy nemzetközi project tanulságai)

Horizontal water-mills in Transylvania and Portugal (Lessons of an international project) György BALÁzs-Zsófia VAJKAI Horizontal water-mills are always listed unworthly at the end of all the studies focusing on water mill. Nobody has paid attention to them since Károly SEBESTYÉN CS. Kálmán LAMBRECHT quoting Cs. SEBESTYÉN called this very simple structure the most primitive, most ancient one where the waterwheel drives the mill stone directly, without transmission, level with the mill stone. This is really a simple solution: grinding can take place without energy device interruption (direct drive). This mill is a characteristic type of rapid streams having small quantity of water in Europe as well as in Asia. Pál Pongrácz states in his book „Old Mill Construction" with countless examples that we must not consider this type ancient because of being primitive, as the waterwheel rotating vertically appeared parallel with it. Practically the usage of horizontal wheel ..accompany the mills from the earliest times to their decay". We do not know about horizontal mills in the territory of present Hungary. Kálmán LAMBRECHT knew about them in Krassó-Szörény and Hunyad counties. According to Elek FÉNYES they can only be found in the „Hungárián and Croatian outskirts". According to Walter ENDREI geographical spreading of this type raises the question if it had a more prominent role in the old days in Hungary than we assume it today? One of the reasons we think it is unworthly forgotten is because horizontal mills were widespread. The other reason is that its scientific research led to the invention of turbine. The third reason is its importance in the peasant diet up to now wherever it still exists. Horizontal mills can be seen in Romania in the county of Krassó-Szörény county (Krassóvár, now Carasova, Ogerlistye, now Eftimie Murgu and Nérahalmos, now Prigor) and in Portugal, around Boticas. We noticed important similarities worth mentioning: 1. Similar geographical environment 2. People of both areas have lived in a relative isolation upto now. 3. The is staple food is maize, they prepare lots of different meals, bread of the flour and grits. 4. Both areas are rich in wood, men are good at carving, they make their tools themselves. 5. Mill structure and building are very simple, they can put them themselves, are without craftsmen. 6. Mills are situated densely one after the other on the rapid stream in the village or nearby. 7. Their structure is very similar but individual solutions can also be found. 8. Families join to (generally more than 10 families) use and maintain them. 9. There is no miller, everybody grinds himself.