Mühle Fortuna, Smock mill in Struckum, Germany.
Mühle Fortuna is a wooden windmill building in Struckum with traditional grain processing mechanisms spread across multiple levels. The structure displays the crafted construction methods of the early 1800s with its characteristic features.
Martin Momsen built the Fortuna as a barley mill in 1806. Until 1910 it ground groats and barley by wind alone, reaching about 80 hp in good wind and milling 20 to 25 hundredweight of grain per hour. A Deutz petrol engine was added in 1910 and replaced by an electric motor ten years later, which ran the mill until the end of 1960.
The mill shows how grain processing shaped daily life in this region and reflects craft traditions that defined generations of millers. Visitors today can see how the structure preserves the connection between people and their working practices.
The mill stands at the western edge of Struckum, near the junction of Mühlenweg and Blumenhofweg, close to the B5 road; it is visible when approaching from the marsh or driving south toward Husum. The four sails are held in one of four traditional positions, which signal a long work break or form the "Freudenschere".
The mill's four sails are held in traditional positions that signal messages: the "rest" position marks a long work pause, while the "joy shears" cross announces a celebration. After a 2019 storm tore away three quarters of one upright sail stock, new sails were fitted on Valentine's Day 2020.
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