Lille Mølle
Encyclopedia
Lille Mølle is a historic house museum
in the Christianshavn
neighbourhood of Copenhagen
, Denmark
. It is a former wind mill that was turned into a private home in 1916. Everything is left exactly as it stood when the house was still lived in and the home is in the same time highly eclectic and typical of its period.
initiated an ambitious programme for the fortification of Copenhagen. This included ramparts with five bastion
s, a canal and on the other side some marshy land that was turned into Christianshavn. Since a fortified city needed secure supplies, including supplies of flour
and rolled groat
s, in the event of siege
, numerous windmills were constructed on the bastions.
Little Mill was the last windmill on the old ramparts of Christianshavn. It is a Dutch smock mill
erected in 1783 on one of the bastions, replacing a post mill
built in 1669. The same year a house for the miller was built in conjunction with the mill and in 1832 the complex was expanded with a four-story steam mill. Together the two mills acted as a grain mill, supplying the citizens of Copenhagen with flour. At the end of the 19th century the mill cap was dissembled and for a while the mill was used by the military for the storage of straw
needed for some nearby barracks
both as fodder
for the horses and bedding for the soldiers whose mattreses needed an occasional refill. In 1909 the steam mill was put out of operation.
In 1916, Little Mill was acquired by Ejnar Flach-Bundegaard, a young engineer, who turned it into the private home of himself and his wife as well as a small factory, DIAF - Dansk Instrument og apparatfabrik (English: Danish Instrument and Device Factory). Mr. and Mrs. Flach-Bundegaard made their highly eclectic home in the five storey octagonal mill base. The factory was located in the steam mill and a warehouse that has now been demolished on the other side of Christianshavn Voldgade.
, and today everything stands exactly as it did when the couple were alive.
Despite not being a typical home, Little Mill is in some ways characteristic of its period, being furnished in a national romantic
yet uniquely personal style
Historic house museums
A historic house museum is a house that has been transformed into a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home...
in the Christianshavn
Christianshavn
Christianshavn is an artificial island neighbourhood located in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was founded in the early 17th century by Christian IV as part of his extension of the fortifications of Copenhagen. Originally it was laid out as an independent privileged merchant's town with inspiration from...
neighbourhood of Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. It is a former wind mill that was turned into a private home in 1916. Everything is left exactly as it stood when the house was still lived in and the home is in the same time highly eclectic and typical of its period.
History
In 1612, Christian IVChristian IV of Denmark
Christian IV was the king of Denmark-Norway from 1588 until his death. With a reign of more than 59 years, he is the longest-reigning monarch of Denmark, and he is frequently remembered as one of the most popular, ambitious and proactive Danish kings, having initiated many reforms and projects...
initiated an ambitious programme for the fortification of Copenhagen. This included ramparts with five bastion
Bastion
A bastion, or a bulwark, is a structure projecting outward from the main enclosure of a fortification, situated in both corners of a straight wall , facilitating active defence against assaulting troops...
s, a canal and on the other side some marshy land that was turned into Christianshavn. Since a fortified city needed secure supplies, including supplies of flour
Flour
Flour is a powder which is made by grinding cereal grains, other seeds or roots . It is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cultures, making the availability of adequate supplies of flour a major economic and political issue at various times throughout history...
and rolled groat
Rolled oats
Rolled oats are traditionally oat groats that have been rolled into flat flakes under heavy rollers and then steamed and lightly toasted. The oat, like the other cereals, has a hard, inedible outer husk that must be removed before the grain can be eaten. After the outer husk has been removed from...
s, in the event of siege
Siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...
, numerous windmills were constructed on the bastions.
Little Mill was the last windmill on the old ramparts of Christianshavn. It is a Dutch smock mill
Smock mill
The smock mill is a type of windmill that consists of a sloping, horizontally weatherboarded tower, usually with six or eight sides. It is topped with a roof or cap that rotates to bring the sails into the wind...
erected in 1783 on one of the bastions, replacing a post mill
Post mill
The post mill is the earliest type of European windmill. The defining feature is that the whole body of the mill that houses the machinery is mounted on a single vertical post, around which it can be turned to bring the sails into the wind. The earliest post mills in England are thought to have...
built in 1669. The same year a house for the miller was built in conjunction with the mill and in 1832 the complex was expanded with a four-story steam mill. Together the two mills acted as a grain mill, supplying the citizens of Copenhagen with flour. At the end of the 19th century the mill cap was dissembled and for a while the mill was used by the military for the storage of straw
Straw
Straw is an agricultural by-product, the dry stalks of cereal plants, after the grain and chaff have been removed. Straw makes up about half of the yield of cereal crops such as barley, oats, rice, rye and wheat. It has many uses, including fuel, livestock bedding and fodder, thatching and...
needed for some nearby barracks
Barracks
Barracks are specialised buildings for permanent military accommodation; the word may apply to separate housing blocks or to complete complexes. Their main object is to separate soldiers from the civilian population and reinforce discipline, training and esprit de corps. They were sometimes called...
both as fodder
Fodder
Fodder or animal feed is any agricultural foodstuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock such as cattle, goats, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. Most animal feed is from plants but some is of animal origin...
for the horses and bedding for the soldiers whose mattreses needed an occasional refill. In 1909 the steam mill was put out of operation.
In 1916, Little Mill was acquired by Ejnar Flach-Bundegaard, a young engineer, who turned it into the private home of himself and his wife as well as a small factory, DIAF - Dansk Instrument og apparatfabrik (English: Danish Instrument and Device Factory). Mr. and Mrs. Flach-Bundegaard made their highly eclectic home in the five storey octagonal mill base. The factory was located in the steam mill and a warehouse that has now been demolished on the other side of Christianshavn Voldgade.
The museum today
Ejnar Flach-Bundegaard died in 1949 and his widow in 1974. Shortly before her death, she donated Little Mill to the Danish National MuseumNational Museum of Denmark
The National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen is Denmark’s largest museum of cultural history, comprising the histories of Danish and foreign cultures, alike. The museum's main domicile is located a short distance from Strøget at the center of Copenhagen. It contains exhibits from around the world,...
, and today everything stands exactly as it did when the couple were alive.
Despite not being a typical home, Little Mill is in some ways characteristic of its period, being furnished in a national romantic
Romantic nationalism
Romantic nationalism is the form of nationalism in which the state derives its political legitimacy as an organic consequence of the unity of those it governs...
yet uniquely personal style