Alsace, from water mills to the Grands Moulins of Strasbourg

Alsace has almost no wind — but it has the Ill. On the power of its rivers, diverted by levees and channels, its milling was built, from the peasant mill to the Grands Moulins of Strasbourg.

A hydraulic milling

Here, no windmill: the wind is missing. Alsatian mills run on water power. A levee and a channel divert the current of the Ill or a tributary to drive the wheel. This hydraulic heritage, built in the 19th century, bears witness to an industrial past and a know-how that enthusiasts now work to save.

The Grands Moulins of Strasbourg

Founded in 1865 and always a flour mill, the Grands Moulins of Strasbourg were first based in Illkirch before settling at the Port du Rhin in 1898 — where silos remain. The history of Strasbourg milling is also read in the city’s mills: the Zorn mill or the Würtzmühle, bought in the 19th century by industrialists.

Decline and transmission

As elsewhere, industrial concentration closed the small mills. What remains are restored buildings, converted silos, and a hydraulic memory specific to Alsace.

To go further

• History of milling in France
• Northern France, cradle of industrial milling
• Mills turned into gîtes

Sources

• Strasbourg archives — The Grands Moulins, a century of history
• Grand Est inventory — The Grands Moulins de Strasbourg flour mill