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The Sempin Windmill, or Moulin de Montfermeil, is a
The tower was originally built in 1740 to replace the Bruyères windmill, which had been built in 1525 but had become obsolete. It was rented for the first time by Messire Hocquart to Jacques Boyartaux on May 6, 1742. The windmill, reconstructed in 1818, fell into disrepair in the nineteenth century after it became redundant with competition from another mill. It was restored in 1896 when it was known as Moulin de la Galette and became a Sunday attraction. In the twentieth century, the windmill again began to deteriorate.
In 1972, an organization was created to protect the windmill. This group attempted to restore the building from 1978 to 1982, but the ground was riddled with old
windmill
A windmill is a structure that converts wind power into rotational energy using vanes called sails or blades, specifically to mill grain (gristmills), but the term is also extended to windpumps, wind turbines, and other applications, in so ...
located in Montfermeil
Montfermeil () is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.
Montfermeil is famous as the location of Thénardiers' inn in '' Les Misérables''. It has made the headlines due to troubles in its ...
in the French department of Seine-Saint-Denis
() is a department of France located in the Grand Paris metropolis in the region. In French, it is often referred to colloquially as ' or ' ("ninety-three" or "nine three"), after its official administrative number, 93. Its prefecture is Bob ...
, approximately east of Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...
.« Moulin de Montfermeil » - 136, rue des Moulins - 93370 Montfermeil It is the last surviving windmill in the department.
History
The tower was originally built in 1740 to replace the Bruyères windmill, which had been built in 1525 but had become obsolete. It was rented for the first time by Messire Hocquart to Jacques Boyartaux on May 6, 1742. The windmill, reconstructed in 1818, fell into disrepair in the nineteenth century after it became redundant with competition from another mill. It was restored in 1896 when it was known as Moulin de la Galette and became a Sunday attraction. In the twentieth century, the windmill again began to deteriorate.
In 1972, an organization was created to protect the windmill. This group attempted to restore the building from 1978 to 1982, but the ground was riddled with old gypsum
Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula . It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, blackboard or sidewalk chalk, and dr ...
quarries which caused the windmill to collapse. Due to these unstable conditions, it was decided to rebuild the windmill away. Work began on restoring the windmill at its new location in 1986, and the new windmill was inaugurated on October 9, 1988. Today, the Sempin Windmill is open to the public and managed by the not-for-profit organization.
The windmill is high and its sails are wide.
Footnotes
{{reflist Windmills in France Buildings and structures in Seine-Saint-Denis