Gold Coin 2500 CZK Windmill in Ruprechtov 2009 Proof

1/4 Oz gold coin - Cultural monuments of technical heritage - Windmill in Ruprechtov

The obverse of the coin features a composition of heraldic animals depicted in a row above each other. On top is the Czech lion, below it is the Moravian eagle and the Silesian eagle. Below the composition of heraldic animals is the name of the state 'CZECH REPUBLIC' and the denomination of the coin with the abbreviation of the monetary unit '2500 CZK'. The name of the cycle "CULTURAL MONUMENTS OF TECHNICAL HERITAGE" is around the perimeter of the coin. The mark of the Czech Mint is placed at the bottom edge of the coin.

The reverse side of the coin features the windmill in Ruprechtov in the centre of the coin field. The inscription 'VĚTRNÝ MLÝN V RUPRECHTOVĚ' and the year of mintage '2009' are at the lower edge of the windmill. Below the year of mintage is the initial of the author of the coin's design, the academic sculptor Jiří Harcuba, which is formed by the letter 'H'.

The windmill was built in 1873 as a classic Dutch-type mill with a four-bladed wind wheel and a revolving roof. After several years of operation, it was affected by a windstorm, which contributed to its modernisation and, from today's perspective, to its uniqueness.

Between 1882 and 1884, the original owner and builder of the mill, Cyril Wágner, installed the so-called Halladay turbine instead of the classic wind wheel, named after its inventor, the American farmer Daniel Halladay. The turbine wheel consists of a wreath of adjustable louvres or blades, controlled by rods, which allow a suitable tilt in the direction of the wind or automatically. The wheel was held in the right direction by a double rudder. Using this invention, the mill milled up to twice as much grain.

Today, the turbine turns at a height of 16 m above the ground, has a diameter of 10 m and weighs about 2 tonnes. The Halladay turbine is unique not only in this country but also in Europe. There were a large number of these turbines in American Texas, which did not drive mills but sawmills and water pumps.

The mill is a technical monument proposed for inclusion in the list of national cultural monuments and UNESCO.

The mill is located in the Drahanská vrchovina, between Vyškov and Blansko, near the Macocha abyss, in the village of Ruprechtov.

This product is part of the following product sets: