EN
The following antique water-powered industrial facilities can still be found in the Orawa region: grain mills, sawmills, wood-shingle mills, oil pressing plants, breweries, etc. Their number in the 1960’s was estimated at only 60. These are wooden structures, even the machinery is made of wood. Intricately finished water-wheel mechanisms, gears and shafts were all water driven. A correlation was found between the number of facilities and the potential power carried by the rivers and streams flowing in the area. The study is based on the calculation of hydrological bases of local water power, estimated in the annual scale at some 140 KW. The article's primary recommendation is the postulate to continue using water power and recreate the old industrial infrastructure in harmony with the principles of protecting the environment.