Torkilstrup Windmill

{{Short description|Post mill on the Danish island of Falster}} [[File:Torkilstrup mølle 2012-08-14 (48).JPG|thumb|Torkilstrup Windmill]] '''Torkilstrup Windmill''' ({{langx|da|Torkilstrup Mølle}}) is a [[post mill]] south of the village of [[Torkilstrup]] on the [[Denmark|Danish]] island of [[Falster]]. Dating from 1743, it is one of the country's few [[post mill]]s which still stand on their original site.<ref name=markivet>[http://www.moellearkivet.dk/sandager-mlle-siden-er-ikke-oprettet32 "Torkilstrup Mølle, Torkilstrupvej 10 A, 4863 Eskilstrup. Guldborgsund Kom."], Møllearkivet.dk. {{in lang|da}} Retrieved 14 December 2012.</ref> It was listed in the [[Listed buildings in Guldborgsund Municipality|Danish registry of protected buildings and places]] in 1959.

==History== Standing on a hill to the south of the village, the grain mill dates back to c. 1650. Hans Mortensen acquired it in 1726, operating it for the next 44 years. In 1743, he rebuilt the mill, recording the date on an interior beam around a heart containing his initials (HMSM) together with those of his wife (AMPD) Anna Margrethe Pedersdatter. Mortensen must have been a thrifty individual. On his death at the age of 65, in addition to a chiming clock, an iron stove, a [[four-poster bed]], a Bible and a German prayerbook, he left an amount of over 793 [[Danish rigsdaler|rigsdaler]], an exceptionally high amount of money for a farmer of his day. The mill remained in operation until 1945.<ref name=markivet/><ref>[http://www.moellerpaalf.dk/index.html?torkilst "Torkilstrup Mølle"], Møller på Lolland-Falster. {{in lang|da}} Retrieved 14 December 2012.</ref>

The mill was listed in the [[Listed buildings in Guldborgsund Municipality|Danish registry of protected buildings and places]] in 1959.<ref name=fredning/> It was restored in 1993 in connection with its 250th anniversary.<ref name=visitlf>[http://www.visitlolland-falster.com/danmark/da-dk/menu/turist/oplevelser/attraktioner/bygningsvaerker/produktside/gdk000236/torkilstrup-moelle.htm?CallerUrl=1 "Torkilstrup Mølle"], Lolland-Falster. {{in lang|da}} Retrieved 14 December 2012.</ref> Since 2003, the mill has been under the ownership of [[Guldborgsund municipality]],<ref name=markivet/> the authority charged with its preservation.<ref name="Olsen2010">{{cite book|last=Olsen|first=Soren|title=Danmark - 4.000 oplevelser - historie/kultur/natur|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=enpsZFbB6CwC&pg=PA498|accessdate=14 December 2012|year=2010|publisher=Gyldendal A/S|language=Danish|isbn=978-87-02-07737-7|pages=498–}}</ref>

==Design== The rectangular mill stands on a [[fieldstone]] foundation. The wooden body of the mill is faced with [[roof shingle|shingles]]. The boat-shaped roof is also covered with shingles. It has latticed vanes with a span of {{convert|60|ft}}, designed to be covered with sailcloth. The mill can be rotated by means of a manually operated [[Yaw system|yaw]].<ref name=markivet/> For a period, a bakery was attached to the mill. The workings of the mill have been preserved and include grinders, an oat roller, a drum sieve, a cap wheel, a crown drive and a vane shaft.<ref name=fredning>[https://www.kulturarv.dk/fbb/sagvis.pub;jsessionid=B2348FBDA461014472F0449739D06161?sag=10151068 "Fredningssag: Torkilstrup Mølle"], Kulturarv.dk. {{in lang|da}} Retrieved 14 December 2012.</ref>

==Access== Equipped with tables and benches for picnics, the area around the mill can be freely accessed. The mill itself is open to visitors on [[Ascension Day]] from 10 am to noon, on the third Sunday in June (Danish mill day) from 10 am to 2 pm, and on the day the [[harvest festival]] is celebrated in [[Torkilstrup Church]]. It can also be visited by appointment.<ref name=visitlf/>

==References== {{Reflist}}

[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1743]] [[Category:Windmills completed in the 18th century]] [[Category:Falster]] [[Category:Listed buildings and structures in Guldborgsund Municipality]] [[Category:Post mills in Denmark]] [[Category:Listed windmills in Denmark]] [[Category:1740s architecture in Denmark]]