Ale nedre kvarn

About the museum

On the Aleån river in the village of Ale in Luleå Municipality, flour has been milled for over 300 years. As early as the first map of Ale from 1645, a skvaltkvarn (a simple water-powered mill) is shown on the site. The mill later received a water wheel and then a turbine, and in the 1940s it was electrified and fitted with a motor. At the same time, a new stable was built for up to 16 horses and a special milling room where farmers could wait for their turn.

Until 1881 the mill was jointly owned by many co-owners, around 65 of them around 1880, who milled in turn. It was then bought by a single owner. With new sieves from 1876 it became possible to mill finer flour, which made it possible to bake waffles. This led to the Våffeldag (Waffle Day) on 1 May on Isaksberget, still celebrated today. The mill was in operation until 1957.

In the 1980s Ale village association restored the mill's machinery and buildings, and in the 1990s it was milling again. A fulling mill was added during the 1990s, rebuilt in 1998, along with a frame saw that recreates earlier industrial buildings on the site. The mill area is now run by volunteers in Ale village association, which organises a summer café, music evenings, flea markets, and markets at Christmas and harvest time.

Highlights

• Water mill on a site where flour has been milled for over 300 years
• Recreated fulling mill and frame saw
• Summer café in the old stable
• Våffeldag (Waffle Day) on 1 May on Isaksberget
• Music evenings and markets through the year

Operated by

Ales byaförening

Admission & discounts

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Accessibility

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Kids & families

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Getting there & parking

The mill lies beside the Aleån river in the village of Ale in Luleå Municipality.

Amenities & dining

• Café

Ale Kvarn Café is a summer café in the mill's old stable, serving homemade fika (Swedish coffee break).

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.