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Windmills of Herencia

Herencia, La Mancha, Ciudad Real

1 Villages · 4 Monuments · 1 Nature · 2 Activities · 1 Curiosities · 1 Food and drink

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Windmills of Herencia

Monument · Herencia, La Mancha, Ciudad Real

The windmills of Herencia are traditional agro-industrial buildings used for grinding grain, mainly wheat, by wind power. The first licence to build a mill in the town was granted in 1778, and the first one in operation was recorded in 1790; over the course of the 19th century the town came to have eleven. The mills were also social meeting points, until water mills and industrial factories, together with the damage caused by the Peninsular War, led to their gradual abandonment. In 2003, seven of the original eleven were restored, named after characters from Cervantes such as El Ama, La Sobrina, Dulcinea and Maritornes, today symbols of the town.

Photo: Angel Gosalbez (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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