Aa-Mølle near Remmerstrand
Aa-Mølle is a 500-year-old listed watermill, considered one of the most interesting of its kind in Denmark. The mill has the only intact example of a Roman form of traction called Beighton Drive.
The watermill is located on the raised seabed close to the marginal moraine Toftum Bjerge and a protected oak grove that dates back more than 200 years. The mill has been restored several times and is now run by volunteers.
The Aa Mill is being moved
Aa-Mølle was first mentioned in 1490, when it belonged to Gudum Monastery and received its water from the Klostermølle Å/Fald Å system. The watermill has not always been located where it is now, but originally 700 alden further east. At this location you can still see a stone with an iron nail, which was used to tie the horses to. The mill was moved in 1839, when a violent storm on 2-3 January pushed so much water over Thyborøntangen and further into the Limfjord that the mill could not withstand the pressure. The millhouse was saved, however. The mill was then rebuilt where it is now, and with many materials reused.
Water wheels and walking devices
Before 1939, the mill operated with an underfall wheel, which was changed to a “breastfall” and has now been changed to an overfall wheel – each of these designations refers to how the water hits the large water wheel. Aa-Mølle is very special, as one of the two water wheel running gear represents the old Roman form of traction (Beighton Drive) and Aa-Mølle is the only intact example in Northern Europe with this particular technique. The running gears pull several mills, a hoist and a flour sieve. None of them are probably the original ones. Thus, during a visit to Å-mølle, you will encounter different types of running gear and materials from different time periods.
Volunteers take over the mill
Aa-Mølle was privately owned until 1961, and the ownership is known all the way back to 1718. In 1961, the then owner and third-generation miller Hans Hedegaard sold the mill to the National Museum in order to save it, but continued to live in the house next door. In 1972, the Friends of Danish Mills took over Aa-Mølle, and to ensure local involvement, the Aa-Mølles Laug was established in 1999, and in 2013 was transformed into an independent association with the purpose: “as owner of the listed Aa-Mølle, to preserve and operate Aa-Mølle for posterity, as a historical monument and a cultural attraction, and to give the public access to the historic water mill.” On January 1, 2015, the Aa-Mølles Laug took over ownership of Aa-Mølle and has so far clearly met its objective with the help of local volunteers.
Relations to the geopark
The Aa-Møllefredningen, the watermill and the developed trail system, including up to Toftum Bjerge, and the many volunteers ensure that you get a wonderful cultural-historical, geological and biological geopark experience here.