Červená studňa water reservoir was built at the junction of the Hron and Ipeľ basins at the beginning of the second half of the 18th century at an altitude of 787 m above sea level. The construction of the water reservoir was designed by Jozef Karol Hell. He used its strategic location to build a drive ditch that brought water to the Amália shaft to drive a pumping machine for a water column.
This machine was also constructed by Jozef Karol Hell and was built into the shaft in 1754. The machine was only in operation when there was enough water in the water reservoir, especially in spring and autumn. It was during these seasons that the water reservoir was abundantly supplied with surface water from three collecting ditches, northern, southern, and western, with a total length of more than 2 km. In this period, there was also the most water in the mines. Since the Amália shaft was connected to other shafts in Štiavnické Bany, the water from the water reservoir played an important role not only for the mentioned shaft, but also for other shafts in this mining district. In 1759, the Červená studňa water reservoir also supplied water to the Klinger water reservoir and subsequently also to drive the water column pumping machine installed at the Žigmund shaft. This machine was the only one in the Banská Štiavnice ore district built on the surface.
In 1754, J. K. Hell built an air pumping machine in the Amália shaft, which was driven by water from the drive ditch leading from the Červená studňa taich. This machine was constructed on the hydraulic principle, with the driving medium being pressurized water and a new element introduced by J.K. Hell compressed air. The operation of this pumping device consisted of the fact that the atmospheric air was compressed in the pressure vessel by the high pressure of the propellant water column. The functional principle of the machine was as follows: From the water tank (A), pressurized water was transported through the pipe (B) to the boiler filled with air (C). Subsequently, the compressed air from the boiler (C) was transported through the pipe (D) to the container (E), where it pushed out the mine water filled from the reservoir (F). The pumped water was transported to a higher horizon through pipes (G). This procedure was continued until the entire container C was filled with water and container E with compressed air. The service personnel closed the transport pipes with valves, drained the water from container C and the air from container E, and the whole work cycle was repeated again. About 20 cycles took place in one hour.
The location of the water reservoir is also significant from a geographical point of view. It was built in the immediate vicinity of the intersection, from which the roads diverge to three, once very important mining centers, Banská Štiavnica, Hodruša and Vyhne. The water reservoir had three collecting ditches and one driving ditch. The western collection ditch was built south of the state road that leads from Banská Štiavnica to Banská Hodruša through the Červená studňa saddle. It started at an altitude of 790 m above sea level and continued towards the east as far as the Červená studňa water reservoir. Its total length was less than 650 m. This ditch is currently used as a forest road, so it is practically eliminated. The northern collection ditch began at a level of 790 m above sea level and a distance of 450 m east of the Rozgrund water reservoir. Currently, it is poorly identifiable and only in short sections. The distinct contours of the ditch are preserved in the area north of the furnace in the Červená studna in the spruce forest. The ditch reached a length of about 500 m. The southern collection ditch started in the Paradajské area, NE of the Paradajs elevation. At first, the ditch has distinct contours, but towards the Červená studna, it is practically eliminated. The length of the ditch is almost 500 m. The Červená studňa drainage ditch from the water reservoir was very important in the past. He led the water from the outlet adit of this twater reservoir to the Amália shaft in the Horná Roveň area. There, the water was used for the needs of mining operations. In 1754, a water column pumping machine was put into operation at this shaft, which was powered by water from the drive ditch. This moat, together with the water adit near the Amália shaft, was more than 3,400 m long.
Technical parameters of the Červená studňa water reservoir:
- altitude: 787 m above sea level
- length of the watter reservoir: 77 m
- taich width 66 m
- length of dam: 117 m
- dam height: 10 m
- slope of the guiding side of the dam: 40.5°
