The mills, a revealing heritage of Gironde history
An inventory drawn up in 1809 listed 1801 mills (985 hydraulic mills and 816 windmills) in Gironde. These figures reflect the importance of the surfaces devoted to cereals at that time (wheat, wheat, barley, rye). These once occupied the vast majority of the Girondin terroirs, far ahead of the vines.
To each landscape, its mill
Since the Middle Ages, water mills have been found on the rivers of the department, Dordogne, Garonne, Isle, Drot, Ciron, Leyre but also on small streams. The mills thus punctuate the hilly landscapes of Entre-deux-Mers, Bazadais, or southern Libournais.
Gradually, in the XNUMXth century, flour mills appeared, gradually replacing traditional mills.
The fortified mills are a specificity of the Gironde. Real architectural gems, they are concentrated in Entre-deux-Mers and on the left bank of the Garonne. These mills date from the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries.
The windmills that appeared in the XNUMXth century are found in the Médoc and the Blayais, on the Gironde estuary, where the hillsides are swept by the westerly winds.
THEGirondine Association of Friends of the Mills federates all the actors ensuring the safeguard, the development and the animation of these mills.
You have understood it, enthusiasts, today, restore and bring these mills back to life, they are just waiting for you!
