Tag Archives: Poland

Czechów Wiatrak

santok windmill wiatrak

A photograph of what remains of Czechów Wiatrak as seen as from the ancient access track up to the mill.

Czechów Wiatrak is the ruined remains of a mid nineteenth century tower mill located on a hill just off the road between the villages of Czechów (former: Zechow) and Santok (former: Zantoch), near Gorzów, in Lubuskie, western Poland.

Santok Wiatrek pl

Another view of the exterior of the tower mill near Czeckow (German: Zechow), in western Poland.

This Dutch-style tower mill consisted of three floors and had three entrance doors. It was most likely built sometime in the 1840s and probably went out of use immediately after the end of the Second World War, when this part of what was then Germany became part of Poland.

santok windmill poland

A ground floor view of the interior of the windmill on a hill overlooking the beautiful Warta (Warthe) River.

The beamed ceilings and floors, roof, interior workings, and sails of the windmill have long since disappeared and all that now remains is the brick-built tower, which stands at approximately nine metres high. During the communist period and after the interior walls were used by mountaineers in preparation for climbs in the Sudetan mountains and elsewhere.

santok tower mill

A photograph of the interior of the mill showing where the first and second floors would have been.

All photographs by and copyright of Simon Haines for windmills dot org dot uk.

czechów wiatrak

A pre-war photograph of the windmill (wiatrak) just outside the village of Czechów (Zechow) in Lubuskie, Poland.

The Restaurant Mill in Grodków

windmill grottkau grodkow

A photograph of the windmill in Grottkau, now Grodkow, Upper Silesia, Poland, c.1925.

Two old images of the early eighteenth century windmill in Grodków, Silesia, in the southwest of Poland. The mill is of the ‘Dutch-type’ and went out of use just after the end of the First World War. It was restored in 1958 and then again in the 1970s and converted into a cafe restaurant. Due to safety reasons the sails were removed in the late 1980s but should you wish to visit today while admiring the mill you’ll discover that all manner of Polish cuisine and a selection of beers can be sampled at very reasonable prices.

windmill grottkau grodkow

The mill in Grottkau / Grodkow, Silesia, Poland, as it looked in the 1930s.

The Windmill in Jakobsdorf (Jakubkowice)

windmill Jakobsdorf

A super looking windmill in Jakobsdorf (Jakubkowice), Silesia, c.1930. Click to enlarge image.

Today’s scan from our picture archive dates back to 1930 and features a windmill and farmworkers in the village of Jakobsdorf, in what was Silesia, Germany. In 1945, Jakobsdorf, was renamed Jakubkowice and became part of Poland. Alas, the windmill itself has long since disappeared.

Windmills in Poland

This month we are in Poland visiting windmills and researching material for a new book on windmills in central and eastern Europe. Here’s just one example of the super mills still to be found in this part of the world.

windmill poland

This mill originates from 1705, updated in 1879, and continued to work commercially until the 1930s.

This mill is ripe for restoration. Sadly it might otherwise fall down very soon!