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Village Mill and Mill Pond in Gahlen

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Düsseldorf District

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Schermbeck

Village Mill and Mill Pond in Gahlen

Highlight • Historical Site

Village Mill and Mill Pond in Gahlen

Name: Village Mill and Mill Pond in Gahlen
Rating: 2

Recommended by 14 hikers

This Highlight is in a protected area

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Naturpark Hohe Mark - Westmünsterland

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Location: Schermbeck, Kreis Wesel, Regierungsbezirk Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf District, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

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Tips

PeterH65 (a.k.a. "Waldorf")

March 20, 2025

"It is no longer possible to determine exactly when the first mills in Gahlen used water power to grind grain. In 1405, a man named Wynck was first mentioned as a miller in the Lippe village. The first documented reference to a Gahlen mill dates back to 1508.
Numerous structural changes over the past three and a half centuries have contributed to the fact that only traces of the original form of the Gahlen mill near the church (today's Kirchstraße) remain. The village mill was leased in the 18th century by the Winck family, who came from the Bocholt area.
Until the 1890s, only the central wooden structure, standing on heavy stone blocks, remained. Its blunt roof matched the profile of the church tower.

Photos from the early 20th century show the mill with its brick extensions on both sides, the color of which is popularly known as the village mill. This earned the village mill its name "Red Mill." In the spring of 1945, the mill wheel of the village mill came to a standstill. German troops retreating from the Allied front blew up the nearby road bridge. The explosion also caused damage to the mill house, the mill wheel, and the grinding mechanism. Since the mill pond had also largely silted up, milling by water power was no longer an option for the time being. Since then, one grinding mechanism has been powered by electricity.
... "

Translated by Google •

PeterH65 (a.k.a. "Waldorf")

March 20, 2025

"...
In 1950, the newly founded local history society campaigned for the desilting of the pond and the restoration of the mill wheel. The association justified the implementation of these measures by citing the mill pond's importance as a firewater reservoir and an attraction for visitors from outside the area. The Benninghoff family, who had owned the village mill since the second half of the 19th century, ceased operations for milling grain for bread in 1955. The bakery shop was also closed. For about two years, the mill served solely to grind grist for Gahlen's farmers.
From 1960 onward, the post office and the Hünxe municipal savings bank occupied the front extension, while three apartments were built in the rear section. In 1975, the now white mill building was finally completely converted into a residential building (LVR Department of the Environment, 2012).
In 1972, the last mill owner, Ernst Benninghoff, had the 5.80-meter-high mill wheel with its 56 blades installed. restore. A millstone was donated to the Dinslaken "Haus der Heimat" (House of the Homeland). Since then, the mill—picturesquely nestled in an ensemble of the village church, tree-lined mill pond, green spaces, and a fountain made of natural stone—has attracted hordes of weekend retreaters to the Lippe village.

The mill wheel, now owned by the municipality of Schermbeck, is maintained by the local history society.

(Gahlen Local History Society, 2014. Created in cooperation with the Biological Station in the Wesel District as part of the "Cultural Landscape on the Lower Rhine" project. A project within the framework of the LVR Environmental Network)

Internet
heimatverein-gahlen.de: Gahlen Local History Society (accessed February 21, 2014)
kuladig.de/Objektansicht/O-87065-20140304-2

Translated by Google •

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Elevation 80 m

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Thursday 11 December

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Max wind speed: 14.0 km/h

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Location: Schermbeck, Kreis Wesel, Regierungsbezirk Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf District, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

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Village Mill and Mill Pond in Gahlen

1. Gahlen Watermill – Pathway to Gahlen loop from Gahlen

2. Gahlen Watermill – Pathway to Gahlen loop from Gahlen

3. Pathway to Gahlen – Gahlen Watermill loop from Gahlen

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