Třebíč will open the renovated mill for the first time on Friday

Třebíč – Třebíč will open the reconstructed windmill for regular tours for the first time on Friday. The 19th-century monument will provide insight into its original purpose, which was grinding bark for the needs of tanners, as well as its later function as social housing. The exhibition, which the municipal cultural center had created for approximately 700,000 crowns, also features a figure of Ferdinand Ondráček, a distinctive Třebíč figure who lived in the mill as the last resident. The author of the statue based on a photograph is sculptor Václav Stibůrek, said Třebíč Mayor Pavel Pacal (For Třebíč).

Stibůrek is also the author of a functional model of the mill, which is part of the exhibition and shows the machinery of the mill, including the gearing and augers. "The model took me much more work than the statue. The hardest part was figuring out how it all works. After all, everything looks different in that miniature," Stibůrek told ČTK.

The reconstruction of the monument, which took about a year, was praised by the Association of Historical Sites of Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia; the mill won in the regional round of the 2020 Monument of the Year competition.

Tourists will be encouraged to visit the exhibition through the event "For a Windmill to a Windmill." People will gain free access to the exhibition if they purchase a new dessert called Třebíčský větrník in Třebíč cafés and pastry shops. The dessert, whose recipe was created by pastry chef Pavla Vostalová, is a modification of the classic caramel windmill made from choux pastry. The flavor is enhanced by pear preserves and dried pears. "It was supposed to be some kind of regional product or ingredient that would be incorporated into the classic windmill; we made a list of what actually belongs to Vysočina, and pears were offered as an excellent option because caramel, pears, and nuts simply go together," Vostalová said.

The city decided to reconstruct the mill for about ten million crowns in 2019. A key component was the installation of new rotating blades, which better match their original shape. They were likely operated from a gallery, the existence of which experts suspect, but historical research did not provide evidence for it. Therefore, it was not restored either. The appearance of the blades and the entire mechanism that rotates them using an electric motor was consulted with Jan Doubek, chairman of the Windmills section at the Technical Museum in Brno.

The mill, built in 1836, is 15 meters tall, and its blades have a diameter of 18.5 meters. It has been listed as a technical monument since 1958. The tower has the shape of a truncated cone and has a diameter of eight meters. Its current appearance is not original but corresponds to the form from the 19th century. It has had a registration number since 1890. Even then, it was listed as housing for workers. When the city acquired it in 1929, it was converted into apartments. There were three apartments, one on each floor. The residents left the mill in 1977 when the city celebrated its 700th anniversary. On that occasion, the city hall had the mill repaired and small propellers, known as wings, installed on it. They were removed during the recent repair of the shingle roof. The mill will be accessible daily except for Mondays.