Category: Civil Architecture > Windmill
District: Açores > Velas > Urzelina > Casteletes
The wooden rotating windmill is located in the Casteletes area, in the town of Urzelina, municipality of Velas, on the island of São Jorge, Azores. Its position offers a comprehensive view of the surrounding landscape, which extends to the sea.
This particular spot in Urzelina provides a serene and characteristic setting of the island's rural and coastal area, where the presence of this structure harmonizes with the natural environment and the local agricultural heritage.
This example stands out for its construction entirely in wood, following a traditional design that allowed for ingenious functionality. Its designation as rotating comes from the ability of the entire body of the windmill to turn on a central pivot, allowing its sails to always be oriented towards the prevailing wind direction.
Its architectural features reveal the simplicity and effectiveness of past construction techniques, adapted to the island's geographical and climatic conditions. It is a testament to the skill of the artisans who built it, ensuring its operational capacity for grinding grain.
As a structure that played a vital role in grinding grain, the rotating windmill of Casteletes represents a link to the agricultural past and the self-sufficiency of the Azorean communities. It symbolizes the resilience and ingenuity of the island's people in harnessing natural resources for subsistence.
Its presence on the Urzelina skyline is not just a visual landmark, but also a reminder of the importance of local production and the traditional methods that shaped the region's economy and daily life over centuries.
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt
Coordinates DD: 38.6421943,-28.1159401
Coordinates DMS: 38°38'31.9"N 28°06'57.4"W
Weather Urzelina
On-duty Pharmacy Urzelina
