Alte Mühle Donsbrüggen
Working wooden Dutch windmill from 1824 with a small mill museum, bakehouse and bread sales on the Lower Rhine.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Alte Mühle Donsbrüggen was built in 1824 as a wooden, octagonal Dutch windmill standing on an earth mound. It has Bilau-type Ventikant sails with a diameter of 21 metres and is around 20 metres tall. Over the decades its drive was modernised, among other things with steam power and an electric motor; commercial operation ended in the mid-1950s.
After years of standing idle, the Förderkreis Alte Mühle Donsbrüggen was founded in 1982 and restored the technical monument. The mill has been turning again since 1985 and has been run and maintained by the Förderkreis on a voluntary basis ever since. A restoration of the gear train, funded by the NRW-Stiftung, was completed in April 2026.
A small mill museum has been set up in the mill; it tells the chronicle of the mill and the Förderkreis and uses models to show the variety and workings of mills. The mill can be explored all the way up to the cap. Grain is ground here, and on Saturdays wholemeal bread is baked from it in the bakehouse.
Highlights
- Wooden Dutch windmill from 1824 with 21 m sail diameter
- Small mill museum with mill models
- Bakehouse with bread sales and baking activities
- Tour all the way up to the cap, with an audio guide in three languages
- Mill snack by advance reservation
Permanent exhibition
- Mühlenmuseum – Small museum with the chronicle of the mill and the Förderkreis, as well as models of various mill types.
- Founded
- 1985
- Operated by
- Förderkreis Alte Mühle Donsbrüggen e. V.
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €2 |
|---|---|
| Children & teens | €1 |
Mill admission: adults €2, children €1. Baking with children €4, with adults €5 per person including the visit (advance registration only). Mill snack or rustic breakfast on Saturdays by registration €10 per person including admission.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible: not available
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The mill is not wheelchair-accessible.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
- Family tours & workshops
- Hands-on stations
Baking with children by advance reservation; programs for school classes and kindergartens; on Mill Day a quiz and a mill game for children.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
The mill is not served by public transport.
By car
Parking available
Parking strips on Mehrer Straße.
By car via the B9 (Kleve toward Kranenburg), turn at the St. Lambertus parish church and follow Mehrer Straße to the mill. By bicycle, the mill can be reached from all directions via signposted cycle routes.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
Mill snack and rustic breakfast on Saturdays by advance reservation; coffee and drinks on special event days.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes (DE, EN, NL) |
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Tour of the mill, bakehouse and museum with a guide; the mill can be explored all the way up to the cap. Please register in advance for larger group tours and hands-on programmes (run by volunteers). Audio guide with 20 stations, available via QR code on your own smartphone. Baking sessions and mill snacks can be booked individually by arrangement. |
