History

Originally, the windmill stood in Kościan, on Nowotki street; it was erected in 1714. Until 1834, the windmill was used for the purposes of grinding oak bark for the needs of the tanning industry; later on, it was used to mill grain.

It was renovated in the years 1845 and 1858.

In 1899, it was moved to Czarków, which was subsequently incorporated into the town of Kościan. In 1949, it was converted into an electrical grain mill.

In 1977, the windmill was moved to its current location and subjected to renovation works. The works were performed by Michał Włodarkiewicz, a carpenter; it was after him that the windmill - used today as a painting and sculpture gallery - was named “Michał”.

Description

The “Michał” post mill is located in Kościan, close to the ring road forming part of the Poznań-Leszno route. Today, the structure stands in Krimmpen square. Parts of its load-bearing structure - the trestle, the main post, the horizontal support beam known as the “flour beam” and the propeller shaft with brake wheel - were taken from a windmill which was erected in 1714 and originally stood in Kościan on Nowotki street. The main structural part of the windmill is the vertical beam known as the post, positioned on four intersecting logs and attached by means of braces, the resulting structure being referred to as the trestle. The trestle rests upon a flat concrete base and serves as the immovable part of the windmill structure. The movable section is the two-storey building positioned atop the trestle, designed on a rectangular, almost square floor plan (dimensions: 4.60 x 4.40 metres), rotated by means of a tail-pole positioned in the lower section of the building. The entrance is located at the first storey level, preceded by a flight of stairs and a gallery. The entire structure is covered with a gable roof with a jerkin head on the windward side. The walls are built on a wooden frame clad with weatherboards, with the windward side being additionally protected by means of a wood shingle cladding. The windmill is covered with a rafter roof. On the windward side, the windmill features four lattice sails attached to the head of the propeller shaft.

When exploring the mill, visitors may also witness the work of a sculptor, since a sculptor’s atelier is located on the second floor, right next to the preserved grain milling mechanism.

Yhe building may be viewed from the outside; inside, the windmill houses the “Windmill” Michał Marian Malicki Art Gallery.

compiled by Beata Marzęta, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Poznan, 17.10.2014.

Bibliography

• Zgodziński B., Województwo leszczyńskie, Warszawa-Poznań 1989