Fool mill
The Narrenmühle is a post mill with sail gate blades, cod-wing tracking and - as a rarity - with a brick-walled stand (trestle) in the Viersen district of Dülken on the left Lower Rhine on the south-east running Rheindahlener Straße. Their design is similar to the Turmkotten mills (Torenkotmoelen) that can otherwise only be found in Flanders , it is the seat of the Dülken Fools Academy and the symbol of Dülken.
The mill, formerly known as a museum mill, later called a fool's mill, was built in 1809 and was in operation as a grain mill, as evidenced by an inscription on the drive wheel of the grinder on the top floor. It was built by the former leaseholder of the drinking mill, Holtz. In contrast to the drinking mill (s) built in 1506 (located in front of the Süchtelner Tor on the Mühlenberg; today the location of the Paul Weyers elementary school) and the Hochmühle or Höchmühle built in 1556 (located on Amerner Weg), it was not a camera mill with mandatory mills , but privately financed.
In 1906 it became the property of the city, was raised 1.80 meters in 1912, completely repaired and set up as a museum. In 1950 the mill was transferred to the Fools' Academy of the "Mounted Academy of Arts and Sciences" (Academia Equestris Artium et Scientiarum) , which from then on continues to maintain a fool's museum in the lower part and theirs in the upper part, in the so-called "Wisdom Hall" Holds meetings.
Until 1799, the foolish activities took place in the north of the city at the drinking mill already mentioned. On September 9, 1800, an autumn storm destroyed many parts of the mill, which was rebuilt with government funds and finally burned down on October 2, 1880. It had an edged goat like today's jester mill, but made of wood. To commemorate the fire, a straw mill is burned down every year as part of the St. Martin's parade .
Every year on November 11th, the members of the Narrenakademie (formerly mainly academics, merchants and city councilors) start their “fool's ride” on wooden hobby horses around the windmill and thus open the Dülken carnival session . The tradition of the ride around the fool's mill can be traced back to the 18th century, but it will have been the practice of the Mounted Academy from the very beginning. Old medals, flags, hats and books that prove this are kept in the museum of the mill.
The fool academy has a long tradition. More than 450 years ago, at the time of the more than three years of the Konstanz Council (1414–1418) held at the instigation of King Sigismund , Duke Adolf II announced that “... the citizens of our loyal city of Dülken no longer want to be free from foolishness and found a civic academy. ”It was not until 1554 that the proclaimed founding of the“ Illuminated Lunar University ” (Illuminata universitas lunaris) actually took place, at which court jesters could attain academic degrees.
literature
- Arie Nabrings: The Dülken Fools Academy. Verlag Droste, 1st edition, Düsseldorf 2002; ISBN 3-7700-1154-6 .
- Hugo Doergens: Chronicle of the city of Dülken, 1925; without ISBN.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Hugo Doergens: Chronicle of the City of Dülken, chap. 4, page 41 ff .: "The Princely Rights, with special consideration of the history of the Dülkener Kameralmühlen"; 1925; without ISBN.
Coordinates: 51 ° 14 ′ 45.9 ″ N , 6 ° 19 ′ 58.8 ″ E