Old World Craft: The Well Builder

About 60 years ago, turning on a tap and getting fresh running water wasn’t something you could take for granted – especially in rural or remote areas. Electricity was unreliable, and there were no centralized water systems. Back then, the work of well builders was in high demand. The trade still exists today, but it has changed dramatically.

Georg Stadler, from Lower Bavaria, is one of the last well builders who still masters the old techniques. He knows how to build a traditional bucket elevator entirely out of wood. But he never begins a job without first consulting a water diviner. Finding the right spot for a well has always been – and still is – a challenge.