Castelbello Mills

Already in the coat of arms of the municipality of Kastelbell-Tschars we see a mill wheel. This was also the family coat of arms of the Counts Hendl, who were owners of Kastelbell Castle from 1531 until the middle of the 20th century. The coat of arms dates back to the 14th century, when Sigmund Hendl granted refuge to the fleeing Tyrolean Duke Friedrich with the empty purse in one of his mills. In gratitude, he was awarded the coat of arms, which shows a red mill wheel on a silver background.

The old mills in Kastelbell are powered by water: The water is directed from the stream onto the paddles of the mill wheel via a sluice and thus set in motion. The axis of the mill wheel is the so-called well shaft, which transmits the power to the comrade, which in turn drives the vertical spindle stock. The upper of the two millstones is connected to the spindle stock and now begins to rotate as well.

The grain flows between the two millstones via the spout and is ground there. An additional device on the stone bench allows the spindle shaft and upper millstone to be raised or lowered. This changes the distance between the millstones, allowing for different degrees of fineness in the grinding.

For good flour, seven to eight grinding processes with increasingly fine adjustments were carried out in the past. If the flour is ground too fine, too much heat is generated due to the strong friction: the flour burns and turns brown. Also, if the millstone rotates too quickly, the flour can burn. So, to grind high-quality flour, a lot of patience and experience is required.

In Kastelbell-Tschars, you can still experience all of this "live." The Moar Mill in Galsaun, the Platter Mill in Tschars, and the Baumandl Mill in Kastelbell are open for visits and demonstrations. When the old mill wheels start turning again and grain is ground between the millstones, it is a fascinating experience for the whole family.

Otherwise, the historical mills have long since lost their function. However, high-quality flour is still produced in South Tyrol, and in principle, not much has changed in the production process. Only the typical mill wheel has been replaced by modern and mostly fully automatic production facilities, to which mixing and packaging facilities are also connected. In addition to a variety of conventional and organic flour types, breakfast cereals and muesli mixtures are also produced.