Brücker Mühle, Amöneburg, Germany

Pam Moore

Amöneburg was a medieval settlement with a stone bridge over the River Ohm as early as the 13th century and became an important road junction.  The village itself is full of fine medieval timber-framed houses set around a green.  In October a group from ECOVAST (European Council for the Village and Small Town) visited this working grain mill in Amöneburg.  Once one of many, it is now the only remaining working former watermill in the area.  There has been a mill on the site since at least 1248.  Of the several mills on the site, uses have varied – at one time it was an oil mill (c.1930).

The beautiful timber-framed building retains its traditional features and much historic machinery also survives.  There is a café and small shop selling local produce.

Today, electric power is used to run the machinery but originally there was a waterwheel.  Then there was a turbine.  Once there was stone grinding, but this was replaced by milling machines like the one illustrated (right), now discarded outside.

Currently more state-of-the-art machinery produces the flour

Reminders of when the mill used stones to grind