Datenschutz/Impressum

The History of the Monastery Watermill Heiligenrode in Germany
1182 The Benedictine monastery of Heiligenrode is founded by Count Friedrich of Mackenstedt; a watermill is mentioned in the foundation document.
1502 Hermen Scroder is the first name of a miller shown in documents.
1630 The Ducal Domain Chamber at Hannover takes over the monastery estates and the watermill. The local domain administrator installs a miller tenant or runs the mill himself.
1750 The old house for the miller(and shepherd) of the monastery domain is built.
1779 When the Domain Chamber realized that the mill could no longer be run without extensive repairs, the mill was given on hereditary lease to Dietrich Heinecke.
1817 The bake house was built, for some time used as distillery, then again as bakery.
1824 Johann Heinrich Steffens takes over the "Domain Hereditary Tenure Mill at Heiligenrode".
1829 The miller's house is built.
1839 The barn of the mill beyond the Klosterbach ("Monastery brook") is built.
1843 The present watermill is built with 2 waterwheels.
1872 In the payroll of the miller's wife a baker is mentioned for the first time; the bakery was in use until 1914.
1909 The mill gets an annex for a steam locomobile.
1911 The mill is the first "electrical power station" for 5 households in the centre of Heiligenrode. (After 1920 the regional power supply was installed, and the generator driven by the water-turbine produced electrical power for private use only.)
1913 The locomobile is replaced by a benzol engine.
1936 The second waterwheel was replaced by a water-turbine.
1962 Friedrich Steffens being a pensioner retires from milling and leases the mill.
1971 The last tenant no longer uses the mill, and the mill is closed down.
1977 The community of Stuhr buys all the buildings of the "mill complex".
1993 After several years of restoring the mill and having made it fully operational the Fellowship of the Watermill hands over the 150-years-old mill to the public.
1995 A prize for remarkable adequate restoration work was received which was conferred by the Lower Saxonian Savings Bank Foundation for the Protection of Monuments. This prize was used to buy a "Little Mill" with a set of natural grinding stones driven by electrical power and used for demonstration purposes.