The historic oil mill in Grafenhausen has fully functional mill technology from the 17th century. The fact that the drive technology was made exclusively from wood makes the mill so unique.
The mill was driven by an ox clamped in the king's stick, which had to run in a circle.
The king's stick is the central point in the oil mill. It drives the surrounding equipment such as the rollers, the millstone in the pan grinder and the stirring device on the heating furnace.
The oak press beam stands a little to one side. It takes up the entire length of the room. The press beam is moved up and down with a hand crank and with the help of a wooden spindle that extends almost to the ceiling. It develops its pressing force only through its own weight and the leverage when lowering.
Every single work step is very laborious and time-consuming, and you get an impression of the way of life at that time.
Only oil fruits from the region were processed, such as made walnuts, rapeseed, or linseed, perhaps also sunflower seeds. The oil fruits were brought to the mill by residents from the village, and after processing in the form of vegetable oil they were taken back home for an appropriate fee.
The oil mill was in operation until around 1905 and was then shut down because the operation was no longer profitable. After extensive renovation work, the mill has been open to visitors again since 1997.
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