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There are even more reasons to visit Estonia! Besides beautiful nature, kind people and colourful history we have one more wonderful thing - plenty of nice mills!
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Estonia is a country where are still left some beautiful windmills and watermills. There are only some of them are doing what they were built for, but many of them are opened for visitors to represent to them history they have got inside.
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There are two kind of old mills in Estonia - windmills and watermills. A windmill is a machine designed to convert the energy of the wind into more useful forms using rotating blades. The term also refers to the structure it is commonly built on. In much of Europe, windmills served to grind grain, later applications include pumping water. A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour or lumber production, or metal shaping (rolling, grinding or wire drawing). A watermill that generates electricity is usually called a hydroelectric plant.
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One of the most remarkable group of windmills in Estonia is located in Angla, at the 32 kilometer mark on the Upa-Leisi road. It is also the only one remaining windmill hill on Saaremaa. In 1925, when the village of Angla consisted of 13 farms, there were nine windcatchers on the hill.
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For example watermill in Hellenurme on the bank of the Elva River mill-pond, the 125 year old watermill built by the Middendorff family stands in the manor ensemble. Inside the mill you can find machines and furniture of the 1930s. On the four floors of the mill you can see, touch, feel and taste the way from grain to flour. For group visits the watergates will be opened and the miller will start the work. You can watch the milling process step by step, from grain to flour etc.
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Even more beautiful is the Dutch-style windmill in Western Estonia near Virtsu, by the sea in the village of Pivarootsi. The Pivarootsi windmill was built in 1869 and renovated in 2004. Around the Dutch-style windmill is built a resort village. The gallery of the fifth floor’s roof opens up to wonderful scenery of land and sea. Estonia and beautiful and mills are waiting for you!
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See also:
Mills in Estonia by Turismiweb.ee
The biggest hibernating bat colony in Europe
Mud treatments in Haapsalu
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Related Links:
Welcome to Estonia
Estonia in Wikipedia
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