Research in Aggtelek National Park and Biosphere Reserve GEOLOGICAL AND SPELEOLOG/CAL RESEARCH c> English trans/a/ion Dr. AHila Kósa THE RO LE OF KARSTIC SPRINGS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF INDUSTRlES IN JÓSVAFŐ PÉTER SZABL VÁR Hungarian Speleological Society, Hungary, 1027 Budapest, F6 u. 68. Összefoglaló: A térség meghatározó jelentőségű karsz!forrásai Jósvafő határában fakadnak. A korai középkorban már felismerték ezek jelentőségét. Energiájukat az érczúzástói a kovácsoláson át a gabonaőrlésig hasznosították. A század első felében még villamos energiát is termeltek a Jósva-forrás vizével, közvilágítást is kiépítve a településen, majd később a barlangban. A XIX-XX. század új energia forrásai fokozatosan háttérbe szorították a helyi v.izienergia hasznosítását, olyan mértékben, hogy ezek az ipari emlékek is megsemmisültek. Maradványaik felkutatása, konzerválása, bemutatása, tárgyi emlékeink közkinccsé tétele a mai kor feladata. Abstract: The karstic springs of decisive importance in the vicinity of Jósvafő rise in the outskirts of the township. The importance of these springs was recognised as early as in the Middie Ages. The energy of the springs has ever been utilised from ore crushing to milling grains. Even electricity was generated in the first half of the 20th century by the water of the Jósva Spring thus creating public lighting in Jósvafő and later in the Baradia Cave. The new sources of energy developing in the 19th and 20th centuries made local generation of electricity obsolete so much so that even the remains of this industry have vanished. The search, conservation, exhibition of said remains and to make them accessible to the public is the responsibility of our days. Out of the 21 springs of major discharge in the Aggtelek Karst 7 rise in the immediate vicinity of the township of Jósvafő. The author does not intend to discuss the hydrological and hydrogeological properties of these springs, only their discharges are what count in the respects of this paper. The table shows the properties of said 7 springs and the totals and averages of ali 21 springs (MAUCHA 1986). No Name of spring Average max. min. Fluctuation Flowof80% Elevation discharge m3/day m3/day of now average above 3 m /day Q.vJQmin duration sea level (m) 1 Jósva 16,591 618,000 5,616 3 10,900 218 2 BiQ Tohonva 10,682 209,000 1,987 5 3,614 217 3 Komlós 1,224 39,500 17 72 233 220 4 SzabóWell 580 4,600 156 4 *326 219 5 Babot Weil 1,580 6,600 717 2 *1,498 254 6 Small Tohonva 1,694 37,411 101 17 263 268 7 Lófei 523 21,600 9 58 56 423 8 Total of 21 springs 49,707 1,358,581 8603 - - - * estlmated data 253 Proceedings of "Research, Conservatton. Management" Conference Aggtelek, Hungary, 1-5 May 1996 Studying the table one can come to the following main consequences: • The 66% of the total discharge of the studied 21 springs rise in 7 springs in the immediate vicinity of Jósvafő, • the Jósva spring beats ali other springs with its highest discharge and with the duration of this discharge, • the township is situated at an elevation of 209 m a.s.l. and the big springs rise within 10m of relative difference of elevation with good conditions of drainage. Taking into account that people who settled in this location since the early Middie Ages haven't ever had any other but hydraulic energy released by the springs, consequently the energy consuming .processinq industries" took root here. The Relation of Jósvafő and the Waters From the results of the archives research of Dr. György Dénes (DÉNES 1979) it is known that the royal deed of gitt of Teresztenye dated in 1272 and the sales contract prepared by the authority in the town of Eger in 1295 mention the small river already, the former as f1uvius Ilsuafey, the letter as f1uvius Ilsua. According to etymological research the IIsua > Jósva geographical name hints at the marshy nature of the Jósva Valley and the - fej or -fő (head) extension means the spring with no doubt. A verdict document dated October 24, 1399 under the rule of King Sigismund contains the first detailed description about Jósvafő (archives of the age of Sigismund, section F). "...and last on the property of IIswafw twenty inhabited- and two abandoned serf parcels, ploughland of three ploughs*, dog rose bush of three ploughs, a towerless church, a two wheeled miii that is driven from above, one of these wheels belongs to said Steven and his sons, an abandoned miii and a miii commonly called the forge ..." (*1 plough == 70 ha). Based on the description in the document Lajos Marjalaki Kiss identified the location of this "miii commonly called the forge" and organised by the Historic Committee of Metallurgy, headed by Gyula Nováki and Dr. Gábor Vastagh excavations began in the autumn of 1964 in the outskirts of Jósvafő on the Huta (Forge) Meadow and in the Almás Gorge. It was learned that the forge at the letter location was driven by undershot paddlewheels. The bigger wheel drove the hammer of the forge, the smaller one drove the bellows of the iron smelter "pig furnace" (Fig. 1.).• 254 Proceedings of "Research, Conservation. Management" Conference Aggtelek. Hungary. 1-5 May J 996 Studying the table one can come to the following main consequences: • The 66% of the total discharge of the studied 21 springs rise in 7 springs in the immediate vicinity of Jósvafő, • the Jósva spring beats ali other springs with its highest discharge and with the duration of this discharge, • the township is situated at an elevation of 209 m a.s.1. and the big springs rise within 10m of relative difference of elevation with good conditions of drainage. Taking into account that people who settled in this location since the early Middie Ages haven't ever had any other but hydraulic energy released by the springs, consequently the energy consuming .processinq industries" took root here. The Relation of Jósvafő and the Waters From the results of the archives research of Dr. György Dénes (DÉNES 1979) it is known that the royal deed of gift of Teresztenye dated in 1272 and the sales contract prepared by the authority in the town of Eger in 1295 mention the small river already, the former as fluvius IIsuafey, the letter as fluvius Ilsua. According to etymological research the IIsua > Jósva geographical name hints at the marshy nature of the Jósva Valley and the - fej or -fő (head) extension means the spring with no doubt. A verdict document dated October 24, 1399 under the rule of King Sigismund contains the first detailed description about Jósvafő (archives of the age of Sigismund, section F). "...and last on the property of IIswafw twenty inhabited- and two abandoned serf parcels, ploughland of three ploughs*, dog rose bush of three ploughs, a towerless church, a two wheeled miii that is driven from above, one of these wheels belongs to said Steven and his sons, an abandoned miii and a miII common ly called the forge ..." (*1 plough ~ 70 ha). Based on the description in the document Lajos Marjalaki Kiss identified the location of this "miII commonly called the forge" and organised by the Historic Committee of Metallurgy, headed by Gyula Nováki and Dr. Gábor Vastagh excavations began in the autumn of 1964 in the outskirts of Jósvafő on the Huta (Forge) Meadow and in the Almás Gorge. It was learned that the forge at the letter location was driven by undershot paddlewheels. The bigger wheel drove the hammer of the forge, the smaller one drove the bellows of the iron smelter "pig furnace" (Fig. 1.).• 254 Research in Aggtelek National Park and Biosphere Reserve GEOLOGICAL AND SPELEOLOGICAL RESEARCH Fig. 1. The Iikely arrangement of the Almás Gorge forge after Dr. Gábor Vastagh It wasn't possible to reconstruct the smelter itself from the excavated fragments of the furnace, but from the analysis of the uncovered large quantity of iron-slag it could be learned without any doubt, that the forge processed high barite content iron ore from the Rudabánya mine. Studying the properties and composition of the slags it was decided that the forge in Jósvafő was a so called intermediate type, a transition between 10-12th century furnaces (Rennofen) and the later shaff furnaces (Stockofen) (VASTAGH 1986). According to Gusztáv Heckenast hydraulic energy was applied in metallurgy since after 1320, latest since the beginning of the 1340s. The technology spread quickly and probably became general around 1380 (HECKENAST 1980). 255 Proceedings of "Research. Conservation. Management" Conference Aggtelek, Hungary, J -5 May J 996 , - 16. " ~(}// 1. Uppony / ~ •... ,,"-. lj. 2. Vadna '('JC 17. 18. 3. Alsószuha <D I0l' -. 4. Dövény • • 5. Felsőkelecsény 13. 14. I•• 6. Edelény u.: 10. • •• 9. 1 7. Rudabánya le. 5. 8. Kurityán . • 7. 9. Kánó / • • . 3. • 8. 10. Ragály , • • 6. 11. Szuhafő 4. • e( 12. Trizs Sa' , 13. Imola 'o 14. Égerszög --2. 15. Jósvafő 1. 16. Aggtelek 17. Tornabarakony • 18. Tornaszentjakab • Iron-slag finds - Imola type fumaces Fig. 2. shows the locations of slag finds and furnaces (HECKENAST- NOV ÁKI- VAST AGH-ZOL TAY 1968) From the 15th century hardly any hints can be found on metallurgy in the region. This may have been caused by the gradual devastation of forests and the consequent permanent migration as weil as the inadequacy of the watercourses necessary for technology dependent on hydraulic energy. Tax records from the times of the Turkish occupation mention some communities in the region that paid their tax by .iron rails", but in this historic period iron metallurgy in Borsod and South Gőmör was gradually replaced by the quickly developing metallurgy of the region that is called today Slovak "Erzgebirge" (Slovenské Rudohorie).