Le moulin banal

A brief history

A water mill already existed here in 898, powered by a millstream, which has now disappeared.

The mill is called "banal", not because it is common, but because in the Middle Ages, the peasants of the whole "Ban de Theux" were obliged by the lord to come and grind at this mill, in return for a milling fee, paid to the lord in the form of flour.

The mill remained the property of the Communes until 1813. It was then auctioned off and François Biolley, an industrialist, became the first "private" owner. Various owners and millers succeeded one another until 1962, when Joseph Collette, the last miller, stopped grinding due to a lack of grain.

Until 1850, the mill had two wooden waterwheels, which powered four pairs of millstones. In 1850, a very large iron wheel replaced them. In 1923, the millstream was closed and the miller at the time replaced water power with a semi-diesel engine. In 1962, the engine was sold and the mill stopped turning due to a lack of motive power. However, the 18th-century mill remains intact. Wheels and gears, millstones, hoppers, bucket chains, clutch system, silos, etc. can still be seen.

A scale model illustrates the layout of the mill. Visitors will discover all the elements of the mill, its tools, documents and objects that evoke the work and life of the miller.