Windmills

SAN LUIS

The Windmills of San Luis

The majestic silhouette of the "Dalt" windmill welcomes the visitor. It is an old memory of the three windmills that, for 200 years, have characterized the architectural ensemble of the village founded by the French. This mill was built adjacent to the buildings erected by the first residents. Years later, in 1776, the largest of the three mills, the "d'Enmig" mill, was already operating, located on the same main street a few meters from the previous one. Finally, in 1780, the "Baix" mill was built on a plot on Conde Lannion street, in the southern part of the town. For two centuries, the three mills formed part of the urban structure of San Luis and were an essential piece of the town's economic well-being. However, technological progress and, on numerous occasions, the wind—their main ally but also their worst enemy—ended the beautiful image of the three mills with their blades turning in the wind. The windmill has wooden machinery that harnesses wind power through blades fitted with sails to turn the mortar that turns grain into flour. The "Dalt" mill, owned by the Consell Insular de Menorca and ceded for use to the San Luis Town Hall, was fully restored in 1987, with the blades and machinery for grinding grain being reinstalled. The ground floor houses an ethnological museum, with interesting collections of tools and utensils from the countryside and trades that have now disappeared, as well as a tourist information office. On the other hand, the "Baix" mill is municipal property and, this very year, has been set up as a space for youth activities.