The Brenscheid Mills are a very special historic complex at WasserEisenLand and vividly illustrate this point: The abundance of water in Südwestfalen led people as early as the Middle Ages to harness the natural energy of streams and rivers using waterwheels.
The mill is a two-story building with a gabled roof and consists of a half-timbered section, which houses the milling mechanisms, and a rubble-stone section, which houses the bakery. Attached to the gable end is a baking oven (also called a “Backes”), which is shaped like a small house and is operated from inside the mill building. The stream water dammed up above the mill originally flowed over two mill wheels, each of which drove one of the two milling mechanisms: the “coarse milling mechanism,” which coarsely ground the grains, and the “fine milling mechanism.”
During a later restoration, the two water wheels were replaced by a single one. Both grinding mechanisms have a stationary bottom stone and, above it, a moving stone, the so-called “runner.” The grain, delivered in sacks, is tipped from the platform into the vibrating hoppers. From there, it passes through a hole in the runner onto the rotating bottom stone, which grinds the grain. In the fine-grinding stage, the flour then falls into the so-called “bag mechanism,” a gauze tube that is vigorously shaken, thereby separating the flour from the bran. The Kornmühle was first mentioned in a document in 1593 (probably built in 1588) and was under the authority of the respective local rulers. Initially, it was owned by the Dukes of Kleve, who were also Counts of the Mark; from 1609 onward, it belonged to the Electors of Brandenburg and later Kings of Prussia.
The Brenscheid Mill was a so-called “compulsory mill,” meaning that farmers in the surrounding area were required to have their grain ground at this mill and no other—a regulation that dated back to the Middle Ages. Around 1700, there were approximately 800 farmers subject to this “grinding obligation.” They all lived in Wiblingwerde, Winkeln, and the surrounding area. Since this region was not particularly fertile and the farmers remained poor, the mill’s income was correspondingly low.
Originally, the mill was always leased on a temporary basis until 1765, when Jacob Hermann Brenscheid became the first hereditary tenant; his family operated the mill for three generations. In 1839, it passed into private ownership: it was acquired by Johann Diedrich Hagen, and it has remained in his family’s possession to this day.
With the abolition of the mandatory milling system at the beginning of the 19th century, the mill’s economic situation deteriorated. Grain processing increasingly shifted to large-scale operations, forcing the mill to close in 1952. Attached to the mill is a bakery that was newly established in the first half of the 19th century. Bread had already been baked at the mill as early as the beginning of the 18th century, but when the “Akzise” was introduced in Prussia in 1717—a kind of consumer tax for the cities—bread could only be baked for commercial purposes within city limits. It was not until the excise tax was abolished about 100 years later that a bakery could once again be established at the Brenscheid Mill to supply the rural population with bread. Together with the Kornmühle, it was then closed in 1952.
In the years that followed, no repair work was carried out, so the entire building began to fall into disrepair. Starting in 1975, the mill was thoroughly restored: the masonry, roof, and bakery were repaired, the milling mechanism was renovated, and a new waterwheel was built. Since the original equipment in the bakery was no longer available, they had to rely on tools from a defunct bakery in Nachrodt. In 1984, bread was baked there again for the first time in 32 years. Since then, regular baking demonstrations have also been held again. Baking demonstrations with sales take place monthly on the first Saturday from May through October—tours of the mill’s interior are available by appointment
Contact: Mr. Hans-Otto Camphausen, Tel. 0 23 52 / 2 21 50.
Five scenic themed hiking trails—ideal for educational purposes—are available around the mills:
- Trout Trail (20 min.)
- Owl Trail (60 min)
- Wild Boar Trail (90 min.)
- Fox Trail (120 min.)
- Gourmet Trail (day trips with recommended stops)
The Brenscheid Kornmühle is a point of interest at >WasserEisenLand – Industrial Culture of Südwestfalen.
