Žager Mill

In the upper part of Podvolovljek, a stone's throw before the Church of St Anthony the Hermit, the Žager mill stands alone, the only still-functioning water-powered mill in the upper part of the Upper Savinja Valley.

Before the Second World War, in Luče and the nearby hamlets alone there were more than twenty similar mills, but as they were no longer economically viable due to electrification and technical progress, most of them eventually fell into ruin.

The Žager mill was already entered in the land register in the time of Maria Theresa, so it is at least 250 years old. The mill was finally destroyed by the flood of 1990, and was restored in 1996 by Jože Kaker of Luče.

The principle of operation is the same as centuries ago. Water drives the mill wheel, which through wooden gear transmissions turns a pair of black stones. A minor problem, and at the same time a curiosity of this mill, is that it does not turn evenly all the time, because the amount of water fluctuates. Approximately every two minutes the amount of water decreases or increases, which causes a change in the speed of the revolutions.

The mill can operate almost throughout the year, the only exceptions being extremely dry periods and longer, extremely cold winter periods, when ice grips the mill wheel and the chutes.

Source: https://www.luce.si/post/75551