Amrum windmill
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The Amrumer Windmühle is a windmill in fog on the North Sea island of Amrum . It stands on the highest natural elevation in the village and is considered the island's landmark. The Amrum windmill has been a listed building since 1967 and is still fully equipped with the grinding aisles. The oldest mill in Schleswig-Holstein houses a local museum and changing exhibitions.
history
The seafarer Erk Knudten bought an octagonal earth Dutchman in Holland, presumably Amsterdam , in 1770 , which he took to Amrum by ship. Everything in Holland was dismantled, labeled and packed for seaworthy travel. The millstones probably got to Amrum through contacts with Föhrer millers. The cladding of the mill was on Amrum in Reet newly manufactured. The Nebeler Windmill was built in 1770–1771 on the highest point in the village. Since the forest was much smaller at that time than it is now, the mill could be seen from all directions. This also gave rise to its initial meaning as a "sea mark" and guide for passing ships on the west side of the island.
The inscription on the gravestone of Erk Knudten in the cemetery at St. Clemens Church in Nebel provides the following information: “The remains of the blessed couple and parents Erk Knudten and Inge Erken from Nebel rest on this monument. The father, who had been a miller, was a seaman in his younger years and drove the last three of them as a skipper. In 1771 he had a barley mill built, which he headed for 21 years as a miller. He and his faithful wife lived together for 46 years and had 11 children. In 1801 the father passed away happily in the 67th and the mother in 1824 in the 92nd year of her age ”.
When the first miller handed over the mill to his son in 1792, it was not yet possible to make a living from grinding barley, groats and grain, so the millers also ran agriculture on the adjacent land. After Erk Knudten died, the eldest son, who already ran the mill, was appointed heir and the siblings were to be paid out. However, this was not possible for Martin Erken after years of milling activity and so one of his sisters, who had married a rich landowner, took over the mill. When her husband died, she left the milling activities to her son-in-law Hans Tychsen and the journeyman miller.
The owners of the Amrum windmill
- Erk Knudten, a seaman, built the mill between 1770 and 1771.
- Martin Erken, miller and carpenter, son of Erk Knudten, took over the mill in 1787.
- Hans Tychsen, journeyman miller from Tondern , took over the mill in 1825 by marrying his niece Martin Erkens.
- Thomas Jensen Christensen, journeyman miller from Abild near Tondern, took over the mill in 1846 by marrying Hans Tychsen's widow.
- Peter Klemensen Kristensen, journeyman miller, nephew of Thomas Christensen, took over milling activities after the death of his uncle.
- Hans Ernst Kristensen, called "Hans Maller", son of Peter K. Kristensen, miller, was Amrum's last miller and ran the mill from 1922 to 1964.
- From 1964, the Association for the Preservation of the Amrumer Windmühle eV took over the windmill and converted the former storage rooms into a museum and still operates exhibition rooms for artists today.
Association for the preservation of the Amrum windmill
It had long been evident that operating a windmill for grinding grain was no longer profitable. In addition, the companies that penetrated the domestic market from the mainland at lower prices were troubling the miller. The repeated repair costs could no longer be covered. In 1963, "Hans Maller" decided to stop operating the mill. It is very much thanks to the efforts of Hans Kristensen's wife Maria that the mill was handed over to an association that wanted to take care of the continued existence of the mill. Maria Kristensen asked Erich Pörksen, then pastor of the island, for advice. He did not hesitate long and called a meeting to found an association for the maintenance of the mill.
On January 16, 1964, the value of the mill was determined by an expert and on January 20, 1964 the first meeting for the establishment of the association took place in the Amrumer Bahnhofshotel in Nebel, to which Pastor Erich Pörksen had invited. A good 70 islanders came to ensure the continued existence of the mill. That evening the association was founded and statutes were given to it. Rebuilding and repair work was started to keep and expand the mill. The warehouse was turned into a museum to secure a source of income for the maintenance of the mill. The thatched dress of the mill has been completely renewed. Sanitary facilities for the visitors were installed. Wooden parts have been re-impregnated or replaced for a longer service life. The museum opened on June 28, 1964. To this day, volunteer workers and donors take care of the maintenance of the Amrumer mill.
In September 2012 the mill was dismantled for the first time since it was commissioned in 1771. Using an embarked from the mainland mobile crane the mill wings and around twelve-ton roof hood were taken to repair them. The repairs had become necessary due to severe damage after a storm in August 2011. The company was largely funded by donations.
Today's meaning
The local history museum is open from April to October. In its exhibition the history of Amrum as well as the flora and fauna of Amrum are presented. There are exhibits on the Amrum island railway , sea rescue and Amrum culture, such as Frisian costumes . Artists regularly exhibit their works on Amrum or elsewhere. The mill also serves as a registry office . The mill is still functional today and is operated occasionally; however, no more grain is ground. The devices required to operate the mill are part of the museum and can also be viewed. Usually the windmill blades are in an X-shape ("scissors"). If a funeral takes place in Nebel, the mill wings are turned into a "cross", that is, they stand vertically or horizontally. The Amrum windmill has a compass rose , which turns the cap into the wind via a sliding and slewing ring so that the position of the windmill blades changes.
Others
Another Amrum windmill, Bertha , can be found in the foggy district of Süddorf . It once stood on the neighboring island of Sylt and is now used as an apartment. A post windmill had previously stood in its place . Another post mill stood in Norddorf at the southeast end of the village.
literature
- Erich Pörksen: The landmarks of the island of Amrum. Breklumer Verlag, Breklum 1987, ISBN 3-7793-1119-4
- Association for the Preservation of Amrum Windmill eV: 200 years of Amrum Windmill 1771–1971 - landmark of the island of Amrum . Special edition by Christian Wolff Verlag, Flensburg 1971
- Association for the preservation of the Amrumer Windmühle eV: 25 years association for the preservation of the Amrumer windmill. Breklumer Druckerei, Breklum 1989
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Website of the state government ( memento of March 26, 2013 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on March 24, 2013
- ↑ Kinka Tadsen: The wings are trimmed - Article about the dismantling of the Amrum windmill in 2012 on amrum-news.de (with photos; accessed on September 10, 2012)
- ↑ Georg Quedens : Amrum - From ancient times. Hansen & Hansen, Itzehoe no year, p. 35
Coordinates: 54 ° 38 ′ 55.2 ″ N , 8 ° 21 ′ 16.1 ″ E