ITALICS Einstein family’s water mill in Italy to produce electricity again
By Rossella Tercatin*
While most of the structure was demolished decades ago, a new water mill to produce electricity is currently being built in the exact same spot.
The water mill built by the Einstein family in the village of Canneto sull’Oglio in northern Italy at the end of the 19th century will be used again to produce electricity, Italian daily Corriere della Sera reported Sunday.
Not everyone is familiar with the short Italian chapter of the Nobel Prize winner’s life.
In 1894, Hermann Einstein left Munich after a financial setback forced him to sell his firm, which had been instrumental to the electrification of the German city.
While his teenage son Albert remained behind to finish his high school studies in Germany, Hermann moved to Milan with the rest of the family, and together with his brother Jacob and an Italian partner established a new electric company in the nearby city of Pavia and later in Milan.
A few months later, after he failed to achieve his diploma, the future renowned physicist would join the family in Italy for a few months, before moving to Switzerland to continue his studies.
While in Italy, the business was not as successful as he had hoped, so the elder Einstein worked on several projects in the north of the country. Among them was a small power plant in Canneto sull’Oglio to produce electricity for the village, one of the first in the area to boast such an innovation already in 1899.
While most of the structure was demolished decades ago, a new water mill to produce electricity is currently being built at the same spot on the river where Hermann Einstein designed his more than 120 years ago, Corriere reported.
The surrounding area will become a park where visitors will be able to learn more about the history of Einstein and his family, featuring a bicycle path and initiatives for schools, Canneto sull’Oglio Mayor Nicolò Ficicchia said.
Hermann Einstein died in Italy in 1902 and is buried in Milan.
*The article was published in the Jerusalem Post on July 19, 2020.