Abbey Mill of Villers

Just look behind this water mill, due to the attraction of the large ruins...

"The Villers-la-Ville abbey mill dates from the 12th and 13th centuries, but the facades have been modified considerably since the 17th century, especially in the 19th century when they were improved.
In 1645, the mill was partially destroyed by a terrible storm that caused great damage to the other buildings of the abbey (cloister, wall ...).
In 1797 the abbey estate (30 ha) was sold in three lots: the abbey, the mill and the farm.
The mill and the ruins of the abbey were expropriated by the Belgian State in 1892, restorations have been carried out and the ruins are open to visitors.
The north wing of the old mill became a restaurant after a fire in 1953.
In 2014, work was underway to establish a “Visitors Center” in the ruins of the abbey in the south wing of the mill. This work, co-financed by the Walloon Region and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), goes hand in hand with the landscaping of the surrounding areas in view of their tourist development. From this center, a pedestrian bridge will lead visitors from 2015 to the hill behind the Saint Bernard chapel from where they will have a global view of the abbey, before joining them via another pedestrian bridge at the level of the arcades of the old pharmacy of the abbey of Villers-la-Ville damaged in November 2013.
In addition, in 2017 a paddlewheel was installed on the Thyle at the back of the mill to produce electricity.

The mill was built in the 13th century. Part of the building housed the abbey bakery. At the beginning of the 14th century, it delivered more than 2,000 loaves of brown bread every week, intended for the poor who presented themselves at the porter's lodge. Hydraulic wheels operated the millstones for grinding wheat and barley, but also for sawing wood and pressing oil. In the 19th century, the mill-bakery was transformed into a hotel: the Hôtel des Ruines. Victor Hugo stayed there several times.