The three mills

The wheels of time
Technological development has long outpaced the beautiful old windmills that used to mill the farmers’ grain. Over time most windmills have vanished, but in the Municipality of Skanderborg, three old mills have been preserved: Gl. Rye Mill (1872), Ry New Mill (1881), and Hørning Mill (1905). Thanks to the efforts of a number of enthusiasts, these mills have been restored and have come alive to provide the visitor with an experience of the wheels of time. 

Gl. Rye Mølle, perched on a hilltop on the outskirts of Gl. Rye, is the centrepiece of an active local history museum: Gl. Rye Windmill and Wooden-Shoe Museum. Exhibitions describe the history and function of the mill as well as the considerable importance of wooden-shoe production to the area. The surrounding forest attracted makers of wooden shoes, who established themselves in great numbers, each producing six or seven pairs of shoes a day – in the 1800s, more than 186,000 pairs of wooden shoes were exported from here!

Also, the museum features exhibitions about the area in the Middle Ages, glass production, the sawmill, wooden souvenirs of Himmelbjerget, and the WW2 airfield and refugee camp at Salten Langsø. The museum’s cinema shows local history documentaries, and at certain times during the year, the sawmill, windmill, etc. operate as ‘working museums’.

Ry Nymølle, centrally located in the town of Ry, is privately owned by Benny Sølvsten, who was born and raised in Ry. He moved to Copenhagen at the age of 18, but returned to his native area at 52, purchasing the mill from architects Bendt Nielsen and Arne Steen Olesen, who owned it at the time. The architects had purchased the mill from the last miller, Søren Olesen, in 1976; they restored it and used it as their studio until selling it in 2004. Since taking over the mill, Benny Sølvsten and his wife Lone have worked hard to further restore the mill both externally and internally. Part of the approx. 400 sq.m. indoor area has been turned into private accommodation, and there are plans to make the other floors available to guests as Bed & Breakfast accommodation.

Hørning Mølle, situated in a residential area of the town of Hørning, has a long and tragic history. The original mill, built in 1858, was destroyed by fire in 1873. It was, however, rebuilt the following year and used until 1958.

In 1972, a local initiative resulted in a plan to restore the derelict mill and preserve it for the future. However, just a few days before the restoration work was completed in the summer of 1974, disaster struck again. The mill burned down – and this time it could not be salvaged. Instead, Stødov Mill, situated at Helgenæs since 1905, was disassembled and transported to Hørning, where it was inaugurated and renamed Hørning Mill in 1975.

For many years, the cellar of the mill has served as a regular meeting place for the area’s carpenters, who have set up a tool museum there. The museum and the mill have no fixed opening hours but are open to visitors in connection with special events during the year.