On the south shore of the more than 1,000-year-old Hellweg village of Schmerlecke, about 100 meters south of the federal highway 1, an old windmill has stood for 150 years. For fifteen decades, it has been a striking and atmospheric focal point for many hikers, carters, and—in this century—motorists. As an old, heavily weathered stone plaque on the north side above the lower arcade attests, the mill was built in 1831: "The married couple Franz Schluter, glorified Thiemann, and Antoinetta Alpmann, glorified Brinkhoff, had this mill built in 1831 by the grace of God."

In terms of its construction, it belongs to the category of tower windmills or Dutch windmills, i.e., the rotating head with the large blades and the rear windwheel is located on a solid stone base with an arch and a brick tower. Inside, the mill is divided into three floors. These contain the entire mill structure, consisting of heavy beams, gear wheels, wooden wheels, frames, and boxes. The mill in Schmerlecke has two grinding gears on the lower floor, each with two natural stones approximately 1.5 meters in diameter. These stones, the lower base stone or bearing stone and the upper one as the runner stone, could grind up to 10 hundredweight of grain in an hour under good wind conditions.

The mill was powered by the force of the wind. The rear windwheel, also called a wind rose, turned the mill blades on the tower cap, mounted on rollers, into the wind, setting the blades in motion. To properly utilize the wind power, the blade grids were covered with canvas. This "sail-setting" required special knowledge and experience from the windmill operator. In very strong winds, the rotation of the blades could also be reduced by special braking systems.

For the village of Schmerlecke and the surrounding area, the windmill was probably the only milling site in the last century.

Other windmills were located in Horn-Millinghausen, Altengeseke, and north of Klieve. While the first two are no longer there, the stone tower of the Kliever Mill still exists. Until the end of the last century, the mill ground and crushed grain for the farmers of Schmerlecke. Then, on September 27, 1897, a catastrophe struck - the mill burned down.

The local newspaper "Der Patriot" reported on the fire at the Schmerlecke windmill in its issue No. 117 of September 30, 1897, as follows: "Horn i. W., September 29. Yesterday morning between 2 and 3 a.m., the windmill in Schmerlecke burned down completely. It must have been a gruesome sight, as the flames shot out through the window openings and holes in the still-standing tower of the mill."

The mill was immediately rebuilt, and operations resumed the following year. It was still the only mill in Schmerlecke capable of grinding grain for the farmers. With advancing technological advances, the old mill also faced modern competition in the form of steam, turbine, and electric mills, which could grind faster and more efficiently, independent of the wind. The era of the romantic windmills (approximately 150 days of wind per year) slowly but surely came to an end.

The Thiemann farm in Schmerlecke, to which the windmill belonged, was sold to the Schulte-Silberkuhl family from Essen in 1906 and leased to distillery owner Anton Siedhoff. On March 1, 1906, the miller Theodor Holle from Schmerlecke, who had previously built a steam mill, leased the old windmill from the owner for 600 marks per year for 15 years. From then on, the mill served almost exclusively for milling. The millstones of the two milling gears were said to have been particularly suitable for this purpose. During those years, Theodor Holle and his brother bought large quantities of foreign barley, milled it in the windmill, and then sold the milled grain to farmers throughout the surrounding area as fodder. During the First World War and the times of hardship at that time, other milled grain was also processed. In 1918, Theodor Holle died, and after the fifteen-year lease period had expired, the mill was returned to the lessor in operational condition at the end of the war.

During the post-war period, things initially fell quiet around the windmill until the 1920s, when Anton Blumenrohr from Völlinghausen, together with a partner, leased the mill again for a short time.

But even at this time, the mill was used almost exclusively for grist production. In later years, the then owner also started the mill again using a tractor, but again only for grist production. Then the old mill finally fell silent; the Second World War began, and slowly, so did the old mill's decline.

By the 1950s, the mill no longer offered a romantic view. The wooden roof was damaged, the windmill no longer existed, except for a few rafters.

All that remained of the large wings were rotten beams, and the stone also showed severe signs of weathering, especially on the lower arches.

At the beginning of the 1960s, the farm and the old mill came into the possession of the Claes family from Paderborn. In the mid-1960s, farmer Elmar Claes alerted the authorities to the condition of the mill. The then District Building Authority, in cooperation with the Erwitte District Administration, contacted the State Conservator in Münster and also the Westphalia-Lippe Regional Association. After consulting with other committees, the State Conservator commissioned the H. Book Mill Construction Company in Dunum, East Frisia, to prepare a proposal for the restoration of the old mill. The costs in the summer of 1966 amounted to almost 50,000 DM, not including work on the stone, masonry, and windows.

After obtaining various grants from the state, the regional association, the Lippstadt district, the Erwitte district, and the Schmerlecke municipality, the first restoration work was carried out in the following years. By spring 1967, the roof had been re-covered with wooden shingles and the rear wind turbine had been replaced.

The roller bearing and additional beams on the interior structure followed, before the large sails could also be replaced by the spring of 1969. Thus, the mill had regained its original appearance and had once again become a special landmark of the Hellweg landscape.

In 1971, further restoration work was to be carried out, but this was not carried out due to the limited financial resources of the municipalities and other authorities at the time. In December 1978, the further expansion of the Schmerlecker Windmill was again on the agenda for a decision at the meeting of the municipal representatives. Subsequently, further minor restoration work was carried out, including on the masonry of the lower round arch. But once again, the ravages of time are taking their toll on the old building. On the west side of the mill tower, the stone is showing the first signs of severe weathering. If the old mill is to remain a special landmark of the Westphalian Hellweg landscape for decades to come, additional funding for its restoration and preservation is essential.

The Erwitte City Council also addressed the further restoration of the mill several times in 1980, for which, according to a cost estimate, another 35,000 DM was required. The State Conservator was willing to provide a grant of 17,000 DM if the work was completed by October 31, 1980. The question of access to the mill and its opening and viewing by the public also had to be resolved for all parties involved.

At the beginning of September, the time had finally come – the mill was equipped. The consortium of freelance restorers, Müller from Geseke-Stormede, began repairing the stone, particularly on the west side. The small windows were also replaced. By the end of October, the work was largely completed, and the mill had been given a fresh, clean appearance thanks to the application of a coat of white plaster.

In the year of its 150th anniversary, it can now be seen in its most beautiful guise – fully restored and renovated.

Source: 1150 Jahre Schmerlecke 833-1983

In 2013 it was owned by Christina Heuschekel and Frank Rademacher, who used it as a residence with a working cafe on the first floor. A short featurette video can be seen here.

As of 2025, Andreas told me it was a private residence and no longer open to the public.