The most important architectural monuments in the Schwalm area are the water mills.
The Schwalm and its tributaries once powered 35 mills along the slightly more than 30 km long course of the river. Until the end of the 19th century, the Schwalm area was the core of the Lower Rhine flax region. In addition to the flax fiber as the main product, there were also large quantities of flax and linseed, which were beaten into linseed oil in the mills.
The Mühlrath mill was first mentioned in 1447. It was rebuilt in 1590 by Werner von Ketzgen and registered under the name Mulrader Meulen.
At the beginning of the 20th century, cutting the oil became more and more unprofitable and so the then owner Lennartz, who had learned the carpentry trade himself, turned the oil mill into a sawmill. For this purpose, around 1905 an iron waterwheel had to be built to drive the gates.
At about the same time, a small restaurant was built, which invited carters to stop off.
Later Kommerzienrat Kaiser (Kaisers Kaffee) took over the mill and leased it to Josef Sanders in 1936.
In 1950, shortly before the death of the Kommerzienrat, Josef Sanders acquired the Mühlrath mill and the lower part of the Hariksee. In the meantime, in 1937 he had the flour mill, which had become unprofitable, and in 1964 the sawmill converted into a restaurant.
Even today, the Mühlrath mill is a well-known restaurant and the only mill in the Schwalm area in which both medium-sized mill wheels have been completely preserved.
The iron wheel has been driving a generator for power supply since 1995. In 2002 the wooden wheel was renewed true to the original. The mill is favored by the fact that it is located at the exit of the Hariksee, which offers a large water reservoir.
Because of its location in a bottom trough, this lake was already there before the 17th century began to systematically excavate the quarry in order to obtain house fuel and fertilizer. The dam of Lake Harik is still in the hands of the descendants of Josef Sanders, who took over the mill after his death in 1974.