Windmills
Windmills
ALCÁZAR DE SAN JUAN
Crowning the Cerro de San Antón as watchtowers, the windmills of Alcázar de San Juan (Rocinante, Fierabrás, Dulcinea and Barcelona) are highly precise mechanical devices used to grind grain and obtain flour by using the energy of nature: the wind.
The miller’s trade was hard and temporary, required great physical strength to carry the cereal and flour or to move the stones when necessary, and it was carried out at limited times of the year, basically after the harvest, and only on those days when the wind was favourable for milling, which could last several days in a row.
Nowadays, 4 of the 19 windmills and 2 watermills that the city initially had are still standing. Two of these mills can be visited. One is the Interpretation Centre of the Manchego Landscape and the other houses a reconstruction of the original 16th-century machinery where traditional milling is carried out on different dates throughout the year.
The Cerro de San Antón has other singular sites: the Cueva del Polvorín (cave) and the Quarries .
Location
Useful information:
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- Address: Cerro de San Antón | Alcazar of San Juan
- Access: By car via Ctra. Tomelloso.
For conservation reasons, it is recommended to park the vehicle next to the picnic area and continue the route by foot, although it is possible to reach the top of the hill by car.
Access to the interior of the mills is difficult for people with reduced mobility. - Opening hours:
- Open from Friday to Sunday.
- Mornings, from Friday to Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
- Afternoons in summer from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and in winter from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
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- Price: Free
- Guide service: Tourist Office of Alcázar de San Juan
- Contact: Alcázar de San Juan Tourist Office
- Contact Phone: 926 540 732
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