Sandviks kvarn
Eight-storey Dutch windmill from 1856 at Sandvik in northern Öland, with a museum on the upper floors and a restaurant and café.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
Sandviks kvarn was originally built in 1856 on the outskirts of Vimmerby. After a few years the sails blew down and the mill was used for other purposes. It was sold in 1885; the whole timber structure was taken down, the parts were marked and transported to Sandvik, where the mill was re-erected on a two-storey plinth of Öland limestone. The builder’s son bought the mill in 1909 and ran it until the 1950s, and in 1955 it was sold to the local heritage society.
The mill is of the Dutch type, which means that only the upper part with the sails can be turned, unlike Öland’s traditional stub mills. It is eight storeys high, about 26 metres, with a distance of 24 metres between the sail tips, and it is counted as one of the world’s largest windmills and the largest in the Nordic countries. Sandviks kvarn was a toll mill, where visitors paid for the milling with money or grain.
A simple coffee service was set up shortly after the sale, and in 1964 the ground floor became a restaurant. Today there is a restaurant and café on the ground floor, while the other floors are preserved as a museum with, among other things, millstones, sieves and wooden gears.
Highlights
- Eight-storey Dutch windmill, the largest in the Nordic countries
- Museum on the mill’s upper floors
- Five pairs of millstones and wooden gearwheels
- Restaurant with Öland specialities
- Guest harbour and bathing place near the mill
Permanent exhibition
- Kvarnmuseet – The preserved floors with five pairs of millstones, sieves, crown wheels, brake and cap show how the mill worked.
Admission & discounts
| Groups (20+ people) | SEK 25 per personMill visit only costs SEK 35 per person for group visits; for 20 people or more SEK 25 per person. |
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| Mill visit with coffee, cake and Öland lufsa (group visit) | SEK 279Package price per person, 2026 |
| Mill visit with coffee and Viennese pastry (group visit) | SEK 89Package price per person |
The price for individual visitors is not given. The driver and tour leader eat free of charge on group visits.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible: no information
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom
- 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
Of six customer toilets, one is an accessible toilet with a changing room.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
- Baby changing facilities
- Playground / play area
Mini golf course and bouncy castle for children, as well as a playground. A changing room is in the accessible toilet.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
A bus runs daily to Borgholm (about 30 km) and directly to Stockholm.
By car
Parking available
Plenty of parking spaces near the mill.
The mill is in Sandvik about 30 km north of Borgholm; a guest harbour and bathing place are about 200 metres away.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
- Restaurant
Restaurant Kvarnen on the ground floor with Öland specialities, café with a waffle house, pizzeria and ice-cream parlour. Mini golf, a bouncy castle, boules and a bowling alley are by the mill.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Good to know | The mill’s seven upper floors are preserved as a museum above the restaurant. |
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