Czarci Młyn in Świeradów-Zdrój

Czarci Młyn (Devil's Mill) in Świeradów-Zdrój is a museum housed in a water mill built around 1890, located in Czerniawa-Zdrój, within the administrative boundaries of Świeradów-Zdrój.

History of the building

The mill was built in the so-called American system, with fully mechanised grain transport. Until 1951 it was driven by an undershot water wheel 6.5 metres in diameter, until its axle was damaged. The plant restarted in 1957, now with electric drive. In 2011-2012 the building was renovated, with a replica water wheel put into operation, among other things, and the site adapted for people with disabilities. The building is listed on the heritage register under number 1256/J.

Museum of Bread

Czarci Młyn is now home to the Museum of Bread. In exhibition rooms spread over several floors, original milling and baking equipment from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries is displayed, including a flour mill, a crusher, a groats mill, elevators, silos, a cleaning machine, a grain winnower, a trieur and a sorter. There is also a preserved, still-working bread oven over a hundred years old, built by the firm of Alwin Michel from Großschönau in Saxony, the last surviving piece of equipment of its kind. In the Banquet Hall you can see photographs of old Czerniawa-Zdrój, and next to the mill there is a garden of plants and herbs with a view of the stream that drives the wheel. Freshly baked bread is sometimes served on site.

Nearby

Next to the mill operates the "Izerska Łąka" Centre for Ecological Education, which runs talks on the Izera Mountains and astronomy. Nearby are also the Spa Park in Świeradów-Zdrój and the GEOPARK - St John's Mine in Krobica.

Practical information

• Address: Lwówecka 5, Świeradów-Zdrój (Czerniawa-Zdrój)
• Getting there: the site is adapted for people with disabilities
• What to expect: a visit to the milling and baking exhibition with a working bread oven; it is worth checking the opening hours on the venue's website before a visit, as they change seasonally