Mill in the hamlet on the Ratzbach The mills in the hamlet of Treiet (today Sägerweg), Weiler 17th century: A hammer forge was operated at the site of Weiler, Treiet - today Sägerweg. An overshot water wheel was already in operation at that time. 19th century: In 1838, Alois Ludescher, the great-grandfather of the current owner family Kurt Ludescher, bought the property and converted the forge into a sawmill and a grinding mill. His profession was thus sawmiller. The sawmill was then closed in 1961 in the third generation. The grinding mill was closed in 1964. This made Wilhelm and Hugo Ludescher the last sawyers and millers in Weiler. The millers' guild was of great importance in the Vorderland for centuries. The mills and saws in Weiler were known at the time as "thunderstorm saws" because they ran depending on the weather conditions. During prolonged droughts, operations could only be limited for a long time "due to a lack of energy". The house name "Sägers" has been preserved for descendants to this day and will continue to be maintained for future generations. In 1974, the sawmill and mill buildings were finally demolished. In their place stands the Kurt Ludescher family home. The water wheel system was preserved for posterity. In 2004, Kurt Ludescher built a small hydroelectric power station with his sons Manfred and Mario. The water intake in the Ratzbach, the water wheel, the water supply, the machine house for the 6 kWh generator and the control system had to be rebuilt or renewed. Up to 200 liters of water per second could be taken from the "Ratz" torrent, but 30 liters of residual water per second had to remain in the stream. The CHP plant produced around 12,000 kWh of electricity per year, which was used in the three households. The surplus electricity was fed into the grid. In 2018, the KWKW had to be stopped because the gear between the water wheel and the generator had become damaged and repairs were not economically viable. Today, the water wheel is still in operation as a "show water wheel" and can be operated with around 1.5 liters of water per second. A bit of nostalgia and memories always have their charm and are also an appreciation of our ancestors. Text / Source: Kurt and Maria Ludescher, Sägerweg 2, 6837 Weiler
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