Grind and Bake Day on the occasion of German Mill Day

The freely standing and prominently visible wall Dutch windmill made of masonry rubble stone blocks was built in 1870 by the farmer Mölk. The miller until 1889 was Casper Menke, followed by Friedrich Menke and Heinrich in 1935. Since 1933, the mill had been without sails and had since operated a grinding process powered by an electric motor. After the final cessation of milling operations in the mid-1970s, time took its toll on the abandoned mill building. Wild ivy and bushes entwined the stone torso of the mill up to the cap, forming a green wall of leaves that prevented worse damage to the walls and kept the mill in a restorable condition. The milling technology was still in a well-preserved state. At the end of 1985, the "Association for the Restoration and Preservation of the Westhoyeler Windmill e.V." was founded, which took the mill under its care through a lease agreement. The restoration of the mill and its financing, generously supported by the state of Lower Saxony, the district of Osnabrück, and the Osnabrück Landscape Association, was meticulously planned based on the old, deteriorating mill components. After several years of work, the mill was restored with great dedication from the members of the mill association, so that on Whit Monday in 1990, the renewed inauguration of the mill could be celebrated with turning mill sails in the wind. In 1992, the restored miller's house was again put to use by the association. Subsequently, the association set to work to reconstruct a bakery dating back to 1848 from the immediate vicinity in half-timbered style on the premises. During Pentecost, bread and cakes are baked here on milling and baking days, vividly illustrating the path to bread. Additionally, baking demonstrations for kindergartens, schools, and interested adult groups are held in the bakery by arrangement.