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Industrial Hydraulic Systems as Objects of Industrial Heritage (regional, Sectoral, and Sociocultural Dimensions)

Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The article examines industrial hydraulic systems as a significant, yet understudied, element of industrial heritage. Hydraulic power, which underpinned industrialization in the 18th and 19th centuries, left behind a vast technological, architectural, and landscape heritage that is now threatened by degradation and oblivion. The diversity and specific uses of water power in industry across countries and historical times are presented. Using three major industrial regions — Champagne-Ardenne (France), Catalonia (Spain), and the Urals (Russia) — as examples, the authors consider the specifics of hydraulic infrastructure. The article analyzes dams, auxiliary canals, hydraulic mechanisms, and water-driven industries in the Ural mining and metallurgical region, as well as European textile settlements, where hydropower shaped not only the industrial but also the social structure. The article provides a definition of hydraulic systems as objects of industrial heritage. Emphasis is made on the state of hydraulic monuments and their representation in modern urban and cultural landscapes and approaches to preserving this heritage. It is concluded that effective management of hydraulic heritage requires combining in international comparative perspective an engineering analysis, historical and cultural research, and conservation economics. By integrating regional and sectoral approaches, it is necessary to develop strategies for preserving historical hydro systems, promoting cultural tourism, and sustainable development, ensuring the contribution of cultural heritage sites to the formation of modern identity and regional development.
DOI: 10.30759/1728-9718-2026-2(91)-150-160
Language: English
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7204137017
FWCI:
Cites: 1
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Related to: 10