The history of the Öland mills

Öland's mills are not only symbols of the island, but also important memories from the time when the mills were central to grinding grain into flour for the locals. From the old wooden structures to the more modern stone buildings, each mill reflects a particular period in the island's agrarian life. These cultural-historical monuments stand today as silent witnesses to the past and attract both tourists and history enthusiasts who want to get an insight into Öland's traditional rural life.

 

stump grinders

The vast majority of today's Öland mills are stump mills from the late 1700s or early 1800s. The designation stump grinder is explained by the fact that the mill house rests on a large stump. When the wings are to be turned to the wind before grinding, the entire mill house is turned around the solid stump. The model is very archaic and windmills with a similar construction have existed in Sweden from around the year 1300. The first time an Öland mill is mentioned in the text is in 1546. We do not know how old the oldest of today's preserved mills is. There are probably mills that at least have some parts that have been preserved from the 1600s or earlier. At Borgholm's city museum there is a preserved heartstock with the year 1441 engraved.

Sharp increase in the mid-1700s

During the 1700s, the number of windmills more than quadrupled. From 1699 to 1808, the figure rose from 375 to 1677. The greatest increase was from the mid-1700s, during the same period as the mills gradually disappeared. A royal letter from 1808 contained provisions aimed at discouraging the construction of more mills on the island. From 1808 to 1822, the number of windmills only increased from 1677 to 1713. The information that there were 1677 mills in 1822 comes from the Öland priest Abraham Ahlqvist's book Öland's History and Description. According to Ahlqvist, the mills were most densely populated in Vickleby parish, where there were 77 of them. Around the turn of the century 1900, the number of windmills on Öland decreased drastically. Initially, most mills were demolished in the southern and central parts of the island, where the modernization of agriculture was the fastest. The small stump mills were replaced by new technically superior mills – first the large Dutch mills, then steam mills and mills powered by crude oil. Eventually, electric mills and mills that could be connected to the farm's tractor also appeared.  Öland's Mill Association, formed in 2008, carried out an inventory recently, where it was concluded that there are today 351 mills left on the island.

Dutch mills

Kvarn - Holländarkvarn - Grönhögen

Until the mid-1800s, virtually all windmills on Öland had been of the stump mill type. At this time, they faced competition from larger and more efficient Dutch mills. The new mill type is believed to have originally been developed in Holland during the 1570s. The construction of the Dutch grinder differs from the stump grinder in that only the top part, the cap, is rotatable. The Dutch mills were always run as customs mills. Unlike a household mill, the customs mill was used for professional grinding. There was a miller who milled for payment, in older times in kind – for "customs". Around the turn of the century 1900, there were about 30 Dutch mills on the island. Today, about ten remain.

Kvarn - Jordhamn - skurkvarn
Marcus Carlsson

Jordhamn's Scouring Mill

The weather-driven scouring plant in Jordhamn was originally built in 1905 but renovated on several occasions. The scrubbing mill was used to grind limestone with the help of wind power. Many scouring mills have been located along the northwest coast of Öland. This is probably the only one that remains today. It is a wind-powered scrubbing mill unlike the oldest ones that were powered by oxen. Next to the restored scouring mill there are remains of old quarries and older cattle-driven shedding walks.

Discover Öland's charming mills!

Join us on a journey through time and history. Visit our iconic windmills, spread across the island. Perfect for a family outing or a quiet moment in a historic setting.

 

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