Odemira Windmill

Category: Civil Architecture > Moinho de Vento

District: Beja > Odemira > Odemira > Bairro do Símplicio

Location:

The Odemira Windmill is situated on the elevated point known as Cerro dos Moinhos Juntos (Hill of the Mills Together), in the Bairro do Símplicio area, within the locality of Odemira. Its position grants it remarkable visibility, allowing it to dominate the urban landscape and its surroundings. This elevation offers a wide perspective over Odemira, framing it as a distinctive element in the village's profile.

A Historical Legacy:

This windmill is one of the testaments to the importance of milling in the daily life of the region. Although there are records of windmills in Odemira since the 18th century, its construction is generally attributed to 1874, according to an inscription on its door. Throughout the 19th century, its typology of a fixed tower with a rotating roof became widespread in Alentejo, replacing the older watermills. In addition to its essential function in flour production, the windmill also played a strategic role, having once been used as a lookout point.

In 1989, the windmill was acquired by the Municipality of Odemira, initiating a recovery process. This intervention allowed it to regain its traditional operational capacity, ensuring the preservation of ancestral know-how and the continuity of its relevance to the local community.

Architecture and Functioning:

The structure of the Odemira Windmill is an example of the popular architecture of the region. It is a circular-based building, built of stone and whitewashed, with blue stripe details that highlight the plinth and the frames of the door and window. At the top, a zinc-plated roof, equipped with an internal wooden structure, allows for its rotation, orienting the four triangular sails to harness the direction of the wind.

Inside, the windmill is divided into three floors, culminating in the milling room, where the pair of millstones responsible for grinding the grain is located. The external sails, through an ingenious system of axles and gears, transfer movement to the millstones. Observing this mechanism in action provides a tangible understanding of a centuries-old technology that powered local communities for generations.

Symbol of Odemira:

Today, the Odemira Windmill transcends its original function, asserting itself as a true ex-libris of the village. It represents the fusion of human ingenuity with the force of nature, and its conservation reflects the value attributed to local heritage. For visitors, the windmill offers a window into the rural traditions of Alentejo, an opportunity to appreciate a building that is simultaneously a landscape landmark and a living memory space, where the past remains present through the rhythm of the wind and the grinding of grain.

License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt