Santa Olaja mill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Santa Olaja mill |
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| Native name Spanish: Molino de Santa Olaja |
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Soana Marshes with the Santo Olaja tide mill in the background
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| Location | Arnuero, Cantabria, Spain |
| Area | 300 square metres (3,200 sq ft) |
| Official name: Molino de Santa Olaja | |
| Type | Non-movable |
| Criteria | Monument |
| Designated | 1988 |
| Reference no. | A.R.I. 51 - 0005373 - 00000 |
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The Santa Olaja mill is a special old building in the Joyel Marshes. You can find it in Soano, which is part of the Arnuero area in Cantabria, Spain. This mill was officially recognized as an important cultural site in November 2013.
Contents
History of the Mill
The Santa Olaja mill is a unique type of mill called a tide mill. It's one of the most interesting places to visit in the Trasmiera Ecopark. This park was even chosen as a top European travel spot in 2011!
This amazing mill was built way back in the 1300s. It kept working for a very long time, until 1953. Imagine, it had ten big wheels! This shows how important it was in its time.
How Tide Mills Work
Tide mills are special because they use the power of the ocean's tides. They are a type of flour mill. When the tide comes in, the mill stores water in a natural pool. This pool is held by strong walls or dams.
Later, when the tide goes out, the stored water is released. This moving water then turns the mill's wheels. These wheels help to grind grain into flour. The Santa Olaja mill is a great example of this old technology.
Building and Renovations
The Santa Olaja mill is about 300 square meters in size. It has two main buildings that are connected by a wall. The mill is built from strong stone. The side facing the sea has six round arches. The other side has strong supports called buttresses.
The mill was rebuilt in 1695. Later, in 2002, it was renovated again. These updates helped to turn it into the museum we see today.
The Mill Today: A Museum
Today, the Santa Olaja mill is a museum. It teaches visitors all about how these mills worked long ago. You can learn about the different jobs people did there. It also shows how important the mill was to the local economy.
The Santa Olaja mill helps us understand the traditional way of life in this region. It shows how people used natural resources to make a living.
Inside the Mill
The inside of the mill is split into two main parts. When you enter, you go through a porch. This leads to a room where you can see the rebuilt machinery of one mill wheel. You can also see parts of three other wheels.
In this room, there are tools that were used for grinding grain. You can also see several grinding stones. These stones have special grooves that helped to turn grain into flour. The room next to it has a floor that is partly made of glass. This lets you see parts of the mill's structure below.
See also
In Spanish: Molino de Santa Olaja para niños
