For over 160 years, the Labbus gallery windmill has stood as a witness to the pre-industrial era in the beautiful Sulingen region. With its mill technology completely preserved inside, the “Henke Mill”, which has since been recognized as a technical cultural monument, was still in operation until 1987. Many Sulinger residents can remember the sight of the rotating blades and many brought their grain there to be ground or fetched feed.
The restoration of the mill is completed
After the restored cap was put back on the mill on April 22, 2020 to mark the end of the first construction phase, construction phase 2 (wings and gallery) was also completed in summer 2022.
At the end of June 2022, the gallery was completed and the restored wings were installed, allowing the mill to rotate using wind power for the first time in about forty years.
The construction cost for the entire project was approximately €230,000. This was covered by funding from the German Foundation for Monument Protection, the European Union (ZILE), the city of Sulingen, the Bingo Environmental Foundation and the association's own funds.
Construction phase 3, the restoration of the mill technology was carried out in parallel using our own resources. The storage, conveying and mixing equipment have already been overhauled and repaired and the transmission has been overhauled so that the mill is now capable of production with both motor and wind power.
The restoration project - an overview
In the first years of its existence, the Labbus Mill Association has dedicated itself to the accessibility, safety and demonstrability of the mill. In consultation with the monument preservation authorities, a number of measures have been carried out to improve the external appearance of the mill and to preserve the building structure. During the renovation, our main aim is to maintain the mill in its last operating condition and to preserve the authenticity of the mill and its technology during all renovation work.
Using the slider you can compare the condition of the mill before and after work on the external masonry.
In the period 2017 - 2022, the cap, wings and gallery of the mill were restored in two construction phases while preserving as much of the existing substance as possible in order to restore the mill's original appearance and function. At the same time, the mill's technology was fundamentally overhauled and repaired in many hours of voluntary work. The mill has been fully operational again since summer 2022.
The restoration in construction phases
Construction phase 1:Cap and octagon
In the first construction phase, the cap and the compass rose were renewed and put back on the mill.
Before the cap could be put back on, the sleepers and the feet of the wooden octagon had to be repaired in places and raised slightly.
The costs for this construction phase amounted to €100,000. These are financed from funds from the European Union (Cultural Heritage), the German Foundation for Monument Protection and the association's own funds.
This construction phase was completed in April 2020.
Construction phase 2:Wing and gallery
In order to restore the external appearance of the mill and get the wind technology up and running, the blades were overhauled and installed in the second construction phase.
The wooden gallery that enables the blades to be controlled had to be rebuilt. This means that the mill can now rotate using wind power for the first time since the late 1980s.
The costs for this construction phase amounted to €125,000. Sponsors of this construction phase are the German Foundation for Monument Protection, the City of Sulingen, the Lower Saxony Bingo Environmental Foundation and the European Union (Cultural Heritage).
Construction phase 3:Technical facility
In the third construction phase, work was mainly carried out on the mill technology and the equipment within the mill. The mill's grinding and conveying technology was complete and in fairly good condition, but it had to be overhauled so that the mill could grind using wind power again.
The costs for this construction phase were originally estimated at €30,000. The voluntary members of the association were able to carry out most of this work themselves in order to restore the facility to operational status.
The mill is now operational again and is already being used for grinding purposes.
