Ramløse Mill

Facts

Grain mill packs up

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

Ramløse Mill is a Dutch mill with a gallery. One of Denmark's youngest grain mills, it was built in 1909 to replace a mill that burned down. Its wind rose ensures that the sails automatically turn into the wind. It also has roll-front" sails that automatically regulate the sails' surface area. Initially, the mill had a steam engine for use during calm weather but a diesel engine was installed in 1920. The mill was closed in 1937 but opened again some years later to produce packaging. "

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The mill's swan song

Story written by Lise Andersen

Time / Periode 1908 1937

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When mill builder Jens Peter Jensen from Fredensborg built Ramløse Mill in 1908-09, watermills and windmills were already being wound down. In the late 19th century, Danish farming shifted focus from growing grain to cattle breeding. Industrial mills took over grinding grain for bread at the cost of the old mills. Many began producing animal feed instead. Farmers began investing in crude oil engines, erecting small wind turbines on their barn roofs and installed their own personal grinders at their farms. That took the wind out of the sails of the old mills. The mills recovered slightly during the two World Wars but then took a turn for the worse. Many mills were left in disrepair until their value in terms of cultural history and their scenic value were recognised in the 1960s.