Mühle Eschen

Listed maize mill from 1778 in Eschen with a working grinding system and a permanent exhibition on nutrition.

Ask the museum for opening hours

About the museum

The building bears the year 1778 above its entrance and originally served as a lordly winepress (Torkel), that is, a pressing house. At the start of the 20th century, wine growing declined sharply due to vine diseases and the import of foreign wines, and the operation was no longer profitable. Several farmers founded a milling cooperative, bought the winepress and in 1912 installed an electrically powered mill.

During World War II, production peaked at more than 400 tons. With the decline of agriculture, orders dried up afterward, and in the 1970s the mill ran into the red. In 1980 the municipality of Eschen acquired the cooperative mill, had it thoroughly renovated inside and out and its technical systems replaced. Since then the building has been under monument protection, and milling operations continue; normal output is 150 kilograms per hour.

The mill mainly processes large-grained, light Rhine Valley maize, the “Tüargga”. The “Rebel flour” made from it was used for the “Tüarggarebel”, which was the most important staple food in the Rhine Valley until the mid-20th century. On the annual milling day in spring, visitors can follow the path of the maize kernel through the individual steps. In the eastern part, the historic, fully functioning grinding system can be visited; on the upper floor, a permanent exhibition shows tools and objects related to maize cultivation and nutrition. A virtual 3D tour complements the visit.

Highlights

Historic, fully functioning grinding system
Permanent exhibition on nutrition on the upper floor
Annual milling day in spring
Building from 1778, originally a lordly winepress
Virtual 3D tour