Imagine the Stockholm skyline centuries ago. It was not full of modern buildings. It was full of windmills. Today we are standing before Gammal v\u00e4derkvarn.
Gammal v\u00e4derkvarn reminds us of a time when windmills dotted the landscape. These windmills played a vital role in Stockholm’s history. They stood tall on hills and ridges. For hundreds of years they were a key feature of Stockholm.
Let’s talk about the types of windmills. The simple post mill was common. Later the more modern Dutch mill appeared. The oldest preserved post mill is Stora Stampan. It dates back to the 1670s. The oldest preserved Dutch mill is the Waldemarsudde oil mill. It was built in the 1780s.
By 1900 all windmills had vanished from Stockholm’s inner city. The last was Holl\u00e4ndskan in S\u00f6dermalm. It was torn down in 1894. The industrial revolution brought steam power. The growing city needed space for housing and parks. Windmills no longer fit in.
Did you know that windmills had different jobs? Most ground grain into flour. Some crushed seeds and fruits for oil. These were called “stampers” or “oil mills”. Others pressed plants like flax and hemp. This made sails and ropes. Sawmills also used wind power. A few windmills ground cork gunpowder or paint.
Stockholm’s windmills had nicknames. These names often included the owner’s name. For example Franckan was named after Lars Franck. Jan Erss was named after Johan Eriksson Rehn. These folk names became official on Petrus Tillaeus’s map of 1733. He listed 59 windmills.
Despite their importance windmills were not always recorded. Tillaeus’s map is valuable. It helps us locate Stockholm’s windmills. Artist Albert Theodor Gellerstedt drew and painted windmills. Thanks to him we know what many looked like.
S\u00f6dermalm was perfect for windmills. In 1733 Tillaeus listed 33 windmills in S\u00f6dermalm. Some windmills caused fires. In 1723 Christian Hansson’s windmill likely started the fire that destroyed Katarina Church.
Some windmills were moved. Stora Stampan was moved in 1882. Lilla Stampan was moved in 1884.
In 1939 the Stockholm City Museum held an exhibit about windmills. Arthur Sj\u00f6gren created a list of 84 windmills.
Gammal v\u00e4derkvarn is a reminder of Stockholm’s history. These windmills shaped the city’s landscape. They powered its economy. Today they live on in stories and memories.