Józef Windmill in Rydzyna

In the late 18th century, 24 windmills were turning in Rydzyna. Today just one remains: a wooden post mill named "Józef", standing on Młyńska Góra (Mill Hill) on Wyspiańskiego Street, among the houses of a residential estate. It is the only survivor of the group of windmills that once stood on the northern outskirts of the town.

History: a windmill that moved house

According to the municipal heritage programme, the oldest parts of the mill may date from the early 19th century, although this has not been confirmed. The mill originally stood where the Młyńska Góra housing estate has been growing since the late 1970s. Until 1939 it was privately owned. After the war it passed to the State Land Fund, and since 1975 it has belonged to the municipality. Milling stopped around 1950, and the building began to decay.

In 1981–1984 the surviving parts were moved to the present site. In 2003 Jarosław Jankowski leased and restored the mill, and in August 2004 it opened as the Museum of Agriculture and Milling. The museum ran for eight years until its collection moved to the windmills in Osieczna in 2012. Part of the timber cladding was replaced in 2014, and after storms in 2017 and early 2022 the sails were repaired and later rebuilt.

How a post mill works

The post mill was a common type of windmill on the borderlands of Silesia and Greater Poland from the late 17th century. The whole wooden building turns on a vertical post set in a timber base called the "trestle". The miller could turn the sails into the wind by pushing the entire mill round with a long tail pole at the back. Józef has three storeys and a timber frame clad in boards. The trestle rests on a cross-shaped foundation of fieldstones.

Tripto tip

You can only see the windmill from outside: the municipality says it is not open to visitors because it lacks fire-safety approval. 15 minutes is enough for a walk around and some photos. The liveliest time is at the end of the summer holidays, when the municipality holds a "Windmill Day" festival here. Rydzyna lies about 8 km from Leszno on the Poznań–Wrocław road, so you can combine the mill with a walk to the castle of the Leszczyński and Sułkowski families. If you want to see the inside of a post mill with its machinery intact, head to the Milling and Farming Museum in Osieczna.