Police officers have been receiving ample expressions of gratitude from the people we helped during the flooding
we also wish to extend our gratitude: we could not have done as much without you
The day the river spilled over the banks and the situation in Medvode was reminiscent of the scenes from apocalypse films
it proved once again that citizens truly are the essential partner in the police mission
When the waters rose to the knee-level and the current became very strong
we were informed that several people had been stuck in a flooded shopping centre
As the situation became too dangerous to attempt walking in the risen waters
it was time to improvise and more importantly
who happened to be in the proximity of the shopping centre at the time
Several of them stepped firmly into the freezing and raging waters and helped without giving it a second thought
held tightly and formed a "human chain" to reach those
feeling an enormous relief when we brought them all to safety
With little time to rest or express gratitude
police officers then hurried on to inspect the rest of the area and look for anyone that still needed rescuing
Now that the situation has become stable and the biggest fears have been washed away along with the flooding
we would like to thank the residents of Medvode
with whom we were rescuing our co-residents and helped them to safety
We were brought together by the realisation that mutual support is called for in crises and that we are stronger together
as we were instinctively united in solidarity
The police officers would also like to thank people across Slovenia for having extended the trust and support and for continuing to do so
who stood with police officers in the moments of crisis
We are honoured to be a part of such a united community
Republiški sekretariat za gospodarstvo Socialistične republike Slovenije
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the start of the building of the Hydroelectric Power Station in Medvode. The station not only generated the much needed electrical energy, but its construction also had an impact on the general appearance of the region by building a dam across the river Sava and creating Zbilje Lake
This month's archivalia is dedicated to documents that bear witness to the construction of this power station in Medvode
The river Sava was important to local population even before the industrial period
Its current was used to transport various goods and to provide power for water mills and sawmills located alongside the river
the river began to be seen also as a potential source for the generation of electrical power
First power stations in Upper Carniola started to be built already before WWI
but their construction was abruptly interrupted by the war and only continued after WWII
The construction of the hydroelectric power station began in 1947. The contract for the project was signed on January 31, 1947 between the two contracting parties; the General Directorate for Electrification and Electro Industry as the client and the Project Office of the People's Republic of Slovenia as the design engineer
The contract set implementation tasks: technical expert's report
instructions to the client for the protection of the object before the start of the operation or in case of work interruption
as well as all other project implementation related conditions
Construction costs changed throughout the entire course of work which is why the 1953 investment study saw the costs corrected by means of special factors
so as to make the costs similar to the price that was set in the 1949 expert study
The building itself was hard and also dangerous since the machinery that is known today did not exist at the time
The difficulty of work let to some work-related fatal injuries
Workers came from Medvode and the neighbouring towns
there were also some coming from other Yugoslav republics; the latter lived in barracks not far from the construction site
Also working on the site were political prisoners who were situated in the camps nearby
The 1952 documents reveal that residential flats had to be provided and built for the men working at the station and for those operating the driving station
The space chosen for the building of this residential area was located along the Ljubljana-Kranj road
they installed the machinery needed for the operation of the power station (turbines
The power station was ceremoniously opened on August 1
On December 1 that same year the station began to operate regularly as run-of-the-river power station with potential for daily peak power supply
The dam has gates and is built 150 metres above the bridge that connects Medvode and Pirniče
It consists of a building on both river banks and a pier in the middle of the river
All three of the objects create two spillways parted by two-part gates
The two buildings on both river banks include engine room with a generator set
It had to put up permanent markings for the highest and the lowest level of water and provide a system for timely alarm for locations where water level fluctuations could potentially threaten the safety of people
Hydroelectric power station also changed everyday life in Medvode
One of the more prominent changes was the creation of the lake
is regarded as one of the sights of Medvode
Discover the online column Archivalia of the Month
Did you find the information you were looking for
Do you want to receive a response from the responsible institution
Clicking on the link will open your default e-mail program and automatically draft a message that you can send to the institution responsible for the content of this website
ask for a reply
Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker