Gudhjem Windmill () is located in the village of

Gudhjem Gudhjem is a small town and fishing port on the northern coast of the Baltic island of Bornholm, Denmark. Its population is 736 (1 January 2024). Gudhjem is a popular venue for tourists who are attracted by its steep, picturesque streets, views ...

on the Danish island of

Bornholm Bornholm () is a List of islands of Denmark, Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland. Strategically located, Bornholm has been fought over for centuries. I ...

. With a sail span of , the Dutch mill is the largest

windmill A windmill is a machine operated by the force of wind acting on vanes or sails to mill grain (gristmills), pump water, generate electricity, or drive other machinery. Windmills were used throughout the high medieval and early modern period ...

in Denmark. It served from 1893 to 1962 when it was taken out of commission."Gudhjem Mølle"
''Den Store Danske''. Retrieved 4 November 2012.

History

The mill was built by Matts Kullmann for his son Christian in 1893. The large cap was manufactured by

Frichs Frichs is a Danish company based in Horsens, founded in 1854 in Aarhus. Frichs today produce ship engines but started out in the 19th century producing a long range of farm and industry equipment, ships, church bells, cranes and later through the ...

, Aarhus. In connection with the mill, a house, warehouse, bakery, machine room and electrical generator were also constructed. The Kullmans operated the mill until 1944 when it was bought by the corn firm Asmussen from Copenhagen. The sails rotated for the last time in 1959. In 1961 Bornholms Korn took it over, but completely stopped operations in 1962. In 1965 all the machinery was removed and the windmill was converted into a discothèque and later into a ceramics store. In 1993, the sails were replaced and in 1998 the hat and wind rose were renovated.

The mill today

Gudhjem Mølle is owned by the insurance company Bornholms Brand. Today the mill is used by Bornholms Andels og Foderstofforetning for training courses and meetings. Since 2007, the public have been able to visit the shop and café which now occupy the mill's two lower floors. .

References

{{coord, 55, 12, 30, N, 14, 58, 21, E, display=title Buildings and structures in Bornholm Windmills in Denmark Tower mills Windmills completed in 1893

History

The mill today

See also

References