Havnø Mill

Facts

North Jutland's oldest windmill

By Lise Andersen, Museumsinspektør, mag.art. (17 stories)

Havnø Mill from 1842 is North Jutland's oldest windmill. The thatched mill is part of Havnø Estate, and was built on a basement of granite boulders. The pinewood timber is from Norway. The moveable parts of the mill mechanism are made of oak from the estate's own Lounkær Forest. From outside, the miller can turn the sails using a capstan" and system of beams mounted behind the mill. He can also regulate the cloth sails. Inside the mill, a special huller has attachments for making barley groats, a grinder with two Rhine stones for fodder grain and flour, as well as a sieve. Today, the mill is a working museum. "

Public place

Selected entry

Danish groats for Norway

Story written by Lise Andersen

Time / Periode 1842

2 Comments 0 recommendations

Havnø Mill is 200 metres from Mariager Fiord, far away from villages and farms. Why did landowner Christen Juul Kjeldsen build his mill so far from potential customers? From his farm, Kjeldsen could clearly see Norwegian ships sailing to Mariager and Hobro carrying timber and iron. Often the ships returned home with empty cargo holds. Kjeldsen set his sights on exporting groats to Norway. Below the main farm is a loading area dating back to about 1500. From here the groats could be sailed away. Havnø Mill has never milled for the local farmers. It made groats for export, winter fodder for the estate's many bullocks and rye flour for bread for the estate employees. The mill stopped in 1927, when wind power was replaced by a traction engine.