Mühle Engelsdorf

Lost in the mists of time, the Mühle Engelsdorf first emerges in 1583. Not just any mill, but a Bockwindmühle, a marvel of ingenuity for its time. Imagine the entire mill house pivoting atop a wooden substructure, always facing the wind. This ingenious method ensured the wind’s power was harnessed efficiently. The Mühle Engelsdorf stood proudly west of Engelsdorf village, on a slight rise chosen specifically for its wind-catching potential. Thomas Schütze, according to church records, was the first leaseholder of this remarkable mill. Disaster struck in 1747 when, under Müller Findeisen, the mill burned to the ground. Rebuilt and resilient, the Mühle Engelsdorf suffered damage again in 1841 from a violent hailstorm. J.A. Scheffler then purchased the mill in 1847. He also ran a small bakery in a building adjacent to the mill, the precursor to the Engelsdorfer Brotfabrik. This bakery was also the home of miller and baker Hermann Scheffler. In 1900, Robert Klas began working at the mill, taking over the operations just two years later. The era of the Bockwindmühle at this location came to an end in 1913. The land was needed for a water tower. Klas received compensation which, combined with land from Hermann Scheffler, allowed him to build a new mill. With his son-in-law, Arthur Herrig, he established the Motormühle. The Mühle Engelsdorf found new life in its current form. Klas died in 1917, leaving Herrig to take the reins. He officially purchased the mill in 1921 and oversaw significant renovations between 1921 and 1929. His son, Herbert, joined the business in 1938. The mill survived World War II unscathed, despite heavy bombing in the area. Further expansion took place in 1954, increasing its output to about four tons of grain per day. More extensive work followed between 1956 and 1958. After Arthur Herrig’s death in 1962, Herbert continued running the Mühle Engelsdorf until his own passing in 1974. The mill’s legacy continues to this day under Andreas Herrig, Herbert’s son, who took over in December 1974.