Historische Windmühle, Potsdam, Germany - Windmills on Waymarking.com

This windmill is called the "Historic Windmill" and pretty much everybody in Potsdam claims to know the story: The windmill is located in direct vicinity to Sanssouci Castle and legend has it that King Frederick the Great was annoyed by the noise of the windmill and tried everything in his power to shut it down. He offered the miller, whose name was Grävenitz, to buy the mill and told him that he would actually have the power to take it without paying for it. According to legend, Grävenitz responded, "With all due respect, your majesty, you would have that power if it weren't for the Supreme Court in Berlin." Thus, thanks to a newly introduced balance of power, the "Miller of Sanssouci" was the first commoner in German history to win a case against royalty. So the story goes.

Unfortunately, it is only a myth. First published in 1787 and told ever since, but a myth nevertheless. The king actually liked the mill, saying it would add a certain rural ambient to the place. However, there is a grain of truth in all of this. The miller and the King were in court, but it wasn't the king who sued, it was the miller. The mill was built in 1738, ten years before the castle, and once the castle was erected in front of the mill, the miller claimed it was blocking the wind for the mill. As a result, the king had to buy I new mill for Mr. Grävenitz, which he did in 1787. The old mill has been a historic monument ever since. At the end of World War II, the mill was hit by a Russian bazooka and burned down. Reconstruction started in 1983 but was interrupted a short time later due to budged cuts. In 1991, a new foundation financed the reconstruction and the mill is now part of the Park and Pallace of Sanssouci World Heritage Site.

Date of Manufacture: 01/01/1738 Purpose: Milling Open to the public: yes Is This Windmill Functional?: No Windmill Farm: no Cost: 0.00 (listed in local currency) Museum on Site: yes

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