Mykonos windmills, Historic windmills in Mykonos, Greece

The Mykonos windmills are seven white stone cylinders with conical roofs standing on a flat hill southwest of town. From there you look out over the sea and the narrow lanes of the old quarter below.

Most of the mills were built by the Venetians in the 16th century, and construction went on into the early 20th century. They ground wheat and were an important source of income for the islanders. Milling declined as industrial mills took over and stopped around the middle of the 20th century.

The mills ground wheat, and milling was an important source of income for the islanders until production ceased in the middle of the 20th century, when industrial mills took over. One of the seven mills on the hill above Chora has been turned into a museum. From the hill the whole village of Chora and part of the harbour are visible.

You reach the mills on foot along narrow paths climbing from the harbor. Access is open all day and the view over the sea is especially fine in the evening.

The mills' large wooden wheels of radiating spokes are kept without cloth sails, so the bare frames are visible against the sky. Most of the sixteen surviving mills face north, toward the island's strongest winds. From the hill, the whole village of Chora and part of the harbour can be seen.