Here Europe is investing in rural areas with the measure:
Construction phase 1: Cap and octagon
The first construction phase of the restoration project was successfully completed in April 2020. The windmill cap was restored by reinstalling components that could be preserved and was reinstalled on the mill on April 22, 2020.
What can be summed up in one sentence was in fact an operation that took several months and countless hours of work by the skilled workers from the Pätzmann mill construction company in Winsen/Luhe and the hard-working volunteers from the mill association. In a project like this, nothing is "off the shelf". Every component had to be rebuilt or adapted based on the original cap.
We are incredibly proud of the beautiful, new cap on our mill, which is now busy turning into the wind again with the help of its red and white compass rose. The view from 20 meters up over the surrounding fields and the edge of the town of Sulingen is also breathtaking.
Structural background
The cap of the mill was removed in 2013 for structural reasons and in consultation with the monument protection authorities. The damage to the cap was primarily caused by the effects of weather on the front and back walls of the cap. The welded sheet covering of the cap was still largely waterproof for a long time, so that the original "moving mechanism" or mill technology of the cap (wing shaft, pinion wheel, brake pieces, brake beams, bunker and main shaft) was in a condition that could be preserved. The wind rose stand with the wind rose had to be replaced so that the cap of the mill could turn into the wind again.
Repair and erection of the wooden octagon
The entire wooden octagon had sunk on the weather side (west), meaning that the slewing ring on which the cap rotates was about 6cm out of balance on that side. The sagging of the octagon was due to old rot damage to the sub-panel and the upright feet on the weather side. The sills of the sub-panel were replaced and the feet of the corner posts were repaired in places before the octagon could be jacked up and lined on that side using hydraulic presses. The cap is now turning into the wind for the first time in several decades.
The costs for this construction phase amounted to €100,000. These consist of funds from the European Union (ZILE), the German Foundation for Monument Protection and the association's own funds.
May 2019 / March 2020: The framework of the old cap served as a template for the parts that had to be made new. Inside the cap you can see the wing shaft and the large pinion wheel, which found their place in the cap again after the restoration.
