What whispers do you hear from the Bergmühle’s old stones? This isn’t just a mill. It is a survivor that stands as a symbol of Flensburg’s rich history.
Flensburg was once a city of mills. Imagine 19 windmills turning at the same time around 1850. They stood tall on the hills around Flensburg harbor. Over time Flensburg had 30 windmills and 24 watermills. Today only the Bergmühle remains to tell the tale.
Back in 1792 Rickleff Ingwersen, Andreas Boysen, and Hans Petersen Schmidt got permission to build this mill. They were tenants of the state mills. They wanted their own windmill to produce pearl barley.
They chose a high spot on Krummweg to build the Bergmühle. Its elevated location gave it the name Bergmühle meaning mountain mill. The Bergmühle started as a one-story gallery with four sails. Wooden shingles covered it but they needed replacing by 1810.
Initially the Bergmühle only made pearl barley. The law then said only state mills could make flour. However the Bergmühle soon got permission to produce flour too. By 1835 it had everything needed for flour production. The Bergmühle became royal.
The Bergmühle almost disappeared. In 1859 the king wanted to sell it. No one wanted to buy it for a long time. Finally in 1869 Marx Friedrich Petersen a mill builder from Flensburg bought it. At that time the Bergmühle had two gears for flour and two for pearl barley.
The Bergmühle was upgraded in 1875. It became taller by 50 centimeters. It got new iron shafts and venetian blinds. Andreas Schlichting became the owner in 1893. Christian Hansen followed in 1913.
The R. Jensen grain company bought the Bergmühle. Between 1925 and 1929 the mill was updated again. A wind rose replaced the codend.
In 1930 Wilhelm Bremer and Hugo Christiansen took over the Bergmühle. Bremer kept the Bergmühle running using wind until 1956. An electric motor helped when the wind was weak since the 1920s.
Storms damaged the Bergmühle badly in 1956. The mill stopped working. More storms in 1959 broke its wings. Wilhelm Bremer the last miller of Flensburg died in 1965. The Bergmühle fell into disrepair.
Locals founded the “Association for the Preservation of the Bergmühle” in 1981. Willy Bartelsen became the first chairman. They wanted to restore the Bergmühle. Much of the original equipment was still there. The association bought the Bergmühle. They wrote statutes and got monument protection.
The association restored the Bergmühle to its original state. It regained its sail wings and codend. The iron shaft and height remained. Slate replaced the wooden shingles.
The Bergmühle celebrated its 200th birthday in 1992 with new wings. By 1994 it could grind baking grain with wind power again. In the mid-1990s they bought the ruined granary. They rebuilt it stone by stone.
The Bergmühle ensemble was complete. Since 2004 couples could get married here. Strong storms damaged the wings again in 2013. In 2018 the association worked with the city to plan repairs. A new gallery was built. The Bergmühle got a new cap, new slat wings, and a wind rose.
Today the Bergmühle stands as a testament to Flensburg’s milling history. It hosts events like Mill Day and art exhibitions. The Bergmühle is a place for celebrations and gatherings. Its doors are open. The Bergmühle welcomes those who wish to experience its charm. It connects to a time when windmills dotted the landscape. It is a reminder of Flensburg’s proud past.