In the village of Bistrica, the watermills are like keepers of time,
grinding the past and present into a unique symphony that never stops playing.
About Bistrica
The village of Bistrica is one of the older settlements in this region. The first written mention of this place is in the Charter of Prince Lazar during the founding of the Gornjak Monastery in 1378.
Zdravkovica Watermill
The Zdravković Dušan Watermill was built at the end of the nineteenth century. Its base dimensions are 4.00 by 3.50 meters. It is constructed on a foundation of rubble stone, and the walls are built using bondruk technique with oak beams as infill. The roof is gabled and covered with pepper tiles. The floor consists of compacted earth in one part and wooden planks in another. The watermill has one room with a single milling stone. The grinding mechanism is functional, but it has not been in operation for a long time.
The building has retained its authentic architecture, but it is in very poor condition. Extensive renovation and reconstruction work needs to be planned, starting with partial rebuilding of the foundation, rectifying and structurally reinforcing the walls, and addressing the roof structure and re-roofing.