Imagine students from the Katedralskolen enjoying wine, coffee and koldskål here. This was a tradition back in 1769. Welcome to Thors Mølle a place steeped in history and charm.
Thors Mølle stands beside Varnabækken. This stream was once known as Skambækken. It is located in Hestehaven. Hestehaven is part of the Marselisborg Forests in Aarhus. Today, Thors Mølle is solely a restaurant. But it has served many functions over time.
Let’s journey back to 1637. Barber Wulff Baltzersen and Jens Jacobsen received royal permission. They could build a gunpowder mill. The mill was placed on Skambækken. Hans Hansen Skonning already had a paper mill there.
A millpond was dug. It collected water to power the mill. The mill used stampers to granulate gunpowder. This pond still exists today. It is known as Thorsmølledam.
About fifty years later the mill changed. It became a feldberedermølle. Here skins and hides were processed. The owner was now councilman Jens Rasmussen Lassen. The mill was not very efficient. It needed two days to collect enough water for half a day’s work.
Later Christen Andersen Tørslev owned the mill. It still functioned as feldberedermølle. Andreas Stæhr took over the mill. He converted it into a stampe mill for fabrics. Stæhr was also a dyer. He owned a large dye works in Vestergade. The stampe mill prepared his cloths before dyeing.
In 1751 Stæhr sold the dye works to Peter Christian Asmussen. The stampe mill was included in the sale. Asmussen and his son Wolff Frederik Asmussen ran the mill. Thor Christensen was hired as stampe master. The name Thors Mølle comes from him.
In 1831 Güldencrone of Marselisborg Gods bought Thors Mølle. That same year Marcus Galthen Bech leased the mill. Bech converted the mill into a kradsuldmølle. It processed old woolen rags into material. This was used for mattresses and carpets.
The wool processing became a good export business. During the 1830s Bech took over other mills along Skambækken. He also built a fourth mill. It was called Nymølle. It was located down the stream from Thors Mølle.
In 1877 steam power replaced water power. The mills became redundant.
From 1877 Thors Mølle had changing owners and productions. In 1878 smith Anders Andersen moved into the mill. He converted it into a horseshoe factory. He developed two machines. These produced up to 1000 horseshoes daily. Later H.P. Jensen tried his luck. He wanted to start a sawmill in the mill but this was not a success.
Over the years several families lived in the mill. Around 1900 there were two apartments in Thors Mølle. One was inhabited by forest worker Ferdinand Andersen. The other was inhabited by foreman Niels Jacobsen. Both served refreshments at the mill.
In 1905 Ferdinand Andersen was fined. He served beer without a license. Niels Jacobsen had a good relationship with the temperance movement. In 1927 Niels Christian Christensen built seven small gazebos at Thors Mølle. In 1929 he opened Jægerstuen. It could hold up to 200 people.
In 1939 the old mill house was decaying. A flood in the summer of 1939 led to its demolition. In 1940 Christensen opened a new building. It had staff rooms, a kitchen, a restaurant and an apartment.
During the occupation the Germans seized parts of the Marselisborg Forests. In April 1944 Thors Mølle was confiscated. After the liberation Thors Mølle served as a refugee camp. In 1947 Georg Stage Christensen reopened the renovated Thors Mølle.
In 1968 an orangery was added. Today Thors Mølle functions as a restaurant. It is run by Birgitte and Tommy Friis. They serve honest food.
Thors Mølle is more than just a restaurant. It is a living piece of history. A place where you can taste the past and enjoy the present. It offers elegant lunch dishes that change with the season. You can enjoy Thors Mølle’s cold-smoked salmon. Other dishes include stirred beef tartar and marinated herring.
Thors Mølle stands as a testament to time. It has adapted. It has evolved. It has always remained a place of gathering. A place of community. A true gem in the heart of Aarhus.