The post mill
The beginning
The construction of the windmill was applied for in 1701 by Valentin Trappe, the then leaseholder of the nearby Dornbock post mill. The mill was built until 1709 for the Patzetz estate, which at that time belonged to the Rosenburg domain as a so-called Vorwerk.
It is a post mill, the oldest type of windmill in Europe. Post windmills have existed in Germany since the 15th century. It is characteristic that the entire mill house stands on a single thick post, the so-called house tree. The house tree is fixed vertically on a wooden support frame, the so-called trestle. This construction makes it possible to turn the entire mill depending on the wind direction. The blades transmit the wind power to the blade shaft with the large comb wheel, which with its wooden teeth engages in the stick gear and sets the upper millstone in motion.
The Sachsendorfer post mill has changed hands several times over the past three hundred years. In 1911 the master miller Albert Liebeherr sen. the entire property, on which there has also been a residential building since around 1890. In 1928 his son Albert Liebeherr jun. Took over. the mill operation.
The advancing technical development at the beginning of the 20th century made the post mill unprofitable, so that in 1937 the mill was replaced by a motor mill in the outbuilding that operated until 1972.
Measures after the expiry
The mill survived the end of the war in 1945 without damage, but in the following years it was left to decay due to wind and weather. Only a ruin remained until the end of the 1980s.
When social conditions changed in 1989, the opportunity arose to save the mill. The Freundeskreis Mühle Sachsendorf e. V. has rebuilt the windmill fully functional as a technical monument with the help of subsidies until 1995.
The post mill with louvre flap blades is open to the wind, ie the blades react to the wind conditions in that the flaps open and close automatically by centrifugal force.
During a routine check in spring 2017, weather-related damage to the wing cross was found. The wings had to be dismantled
A further check showed that the mill bracket and the vane shaft also had to be replaced. The club faced a major problem: it was unable to raise the estimated repair costs of 69,000 euros on its own. Appeals for donations were launched and funding requests were made. Thanks to many individual donations, a donation from the Salzlandsparkasse and a larger donation from the German Foundation for Monument Protection, the association was able to raise the necessary funds for funding through the European LEADER program.
Thanks to this support, the renovation of the post mill by the mill construction company Wernicke could be implemented in 2019/2020.
Visit to the post mill
The windmill should be preserved for posterity as a technical monument. It is open to all interested visitors for viewing. Groups and individual visitors are cordially invited to arrange a viewing at any time. Spontaneous visits are possible on the weekends between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.
Every year, on Whit Monday for the "German Milling Day" and on the second Sunday in September for the "Open Monument Day", a mill festival takes place from 10:00 am.
The mill has been included as a special attraction in the Salzland district in the "Salzland Temple of Culture" project. Everyone can document their visit to the mill with a stamp. You will find the stamp box next to the entrance to the mill.
Contact Person:
Mr. Martin Häniche
Tel .: 039295 179935
E-mail:
Freundeskreis-sachsendorf@outlook.de
