The Westphalian Mill Road

The landscape around the city of Minden is dominated by windmills, and some historic watermills also remain. Most are located north of the Mittelland Canal which crosses the River Weser at Minden. The Mill Road, a conservation project established in 1975, brings together the owners and occupiers of some 43 mills to act as a pressure group for the conservation of mills and to draw them to the notice of the public. A replica floating mill was constructed in 1998 and placed on the River Weser. The mills are now linked by cycling tracks, and trail guides have been produced for the use of visitors. Some mills are regularly open to the public, but on certain days of each year, usually on Whit Monday and on a specific day in August, many more unfurl their sails and rotate their machinery for the benefit of visitors. At many of the mills cakes, biscuits and other characteristic Westphalian foods are offered to guests. While most of the mills were employed for grinding grain, some were used for scutching flax, extracting oil from seeds and sawing wood.

The Westphalian Mill Road
Mühlenverein im Kreis Minden-Lübbecke e.V. Geschäftsstelle: Mühlenbauhof Frille
Schwarzer Weg 2
32469 Petershagen
Germany
+49 (0) 05702 - 2694
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