Santa Olaja tide mill, Tide mill museum in Soano, Spain.
The Santa Olaja tide mill stands as a stone structure with semicircular arches on the seaward side, featuring restored grinding machinery and educational displays within its 300 square meter area.
Built in the 14th century and reconstructed in 1695, this mill operated continuously until 1953, utilizing ten wheels powered by tidal movements to process grain for local communities.
Designated as a bien de interés cultural in 2013, the mill represents traditional Cantabrian engineering heritage and forms part of the award-winning Trasmiera Ecopark conservation project.
The museum operates Wednesday through Sunday from 17:00 to 20:00, offering visitors access to restored milling equipment and interpretive displays about tidal power technology for approximately 4 euros.
This facility demonstrates one of Europe's few remaining examples of tidal milling technology, where natural sea level fluctuations were harnessed to power grain processing operations through ingenious hydraulic systems.
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