The King, väderkvarn på Öland
The King is a historic windmill in Mörbylånga Municipality, Sweden, built as a post mill where the entire structure sits on a single vertical post. This design allows the building to rotate and face the wind, using large sails to process grain into flour.
This mill dates to a period when wind power was essential for processing grain and skilled craftsmanship was central to farm life. It survived the introduction of steam-powered and mechanical mills in the late 1800s, when many similar structures lost their purpose.
The name 'The King' reflects the importance this structure held in the local community. The mill was long a central place where farmers brought their grain to be ground, shaping daily rural life.
The mill is easily accessible by car via small roads and open fields across the Swedish countryside. The site is straightforward to navigate, and visitors can examine the structure from outside and watch the sails turn when wind catches them.
While thousands of such mills once stood on Öland, only about 400 windmills survive today across the entire island, making this structure a rare remnant of an almost vanished landscape. This scarcity transforms each visit into a window onto a largely disappeared chapter of European farm life.
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