Mills and Waterworks in Zagórze

As early as the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries, in the area of Zagórze (where the name Szmelta as a hamlet was recorded in the 12th century), there was a grain mill and a sawmill owned by the Teutonic Order, operating on the rushing waters of the Zagórska Struga. Subsequently, these facilities came under the ownership of the starosts of Puck and were leased by successive users over the centuries. The number of mills and sawmills increased in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Official records indicate several owners in Zagórze and Szmelta. In addition to grain and malt processing, the mills and sawmills also served as small hydroelectric power plants, generating electricity for their own use and the local residents. In 1864, there were three water mills, a sawmill, and two iron forges in Zagórze, and in Szmelta, there was an iron forge, a water mill, and a tannery. In 1865, the owners of the iron forges in Zagórze were Ernst Reiman and Schwabe, while the water mills were owned by Gyke, von Werben, and Franciszek Grabe. In 1938, this area was home to four mills owned by Leon Marszałkowski, Jan Weinart, Jan Riebandt, and Julian Malotke.