Post Mill in Krzywiń

On Bojanowskiego Street, on the way out of Krzywiń towards Gryżyna, stands a restored wooden post mill with dark cladding and lattice sails. It is one of two windmills that survive within the town limits. In 1793 there were three working here. The municipal list of historic sites dates it to 1698, although that date is not certain.

History: the windmills of a Benedictine town

Krzywiń is one of the oldest towns in the region. In the 11th century a stronghold stood on an island among the backwaters of the Obra river, and the town received its charter in 1257 thanks to the Benedictines of nearby Lubiń. When Krzywiń came under Prussian rule in 1793, it had 419 inhabitants and 90 houses. It had a bridge over the river, paved streets and three windmills. People lived mainly from farming and crafts, among them linen weavers, bakers, butchers and shoemakers.

The municipality says two post mills survive in the town: one from 1698 on Bojanowskiego Street and one from 1803 on Mostowa Street. Other heritage listings give the dates the other way round, however, so the age of the Bojanowskiego mill remains uncertain. So treat 1698 as the date given by the municipality rather than an established fact.

What to see

The post mill is the oldest type of windmill in this region. The whole wooden building turns on a vertical post, and the miller set the sails into the wind by pushing it round with a long tail pole. The Bojanowskiego mill shows this design clearly, with a small gallery, steps and the tail pole at the back. The second post mill stands on Mostowa Street, by the road to Nowy Dwór, and is worth comparing with its restored neighbour. There are also post mills elsewhere in the municipality, in Jerka, Łagowo (1819) and Bieżyń (1844).

Tripto tip

You can see the windmill from the pavement beside the road. 15 minutes is enough for photos and a walk around. The municipality gives no information about access to the interior, so if you want to go inside, ask at the town hall beforehand. In Krzywiń itself, see the Gothic church of St Nicholas with the Renaissance tomb of the knight Andrzej Miaskowski, and the 1905 town hall with a clock in its façade. The Benedictine abbey in Lubiń is close by, and part of the municipality lies within the General Dezydery Chłapowski Landscape Park.