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All Spain Consuegra Consuegra Windmills

Consuegra Windmills

This line of 12 tower mills described in the story of Don Quixote is among the most iconic landscapes in Spain.

Consuegra, Spain

Added By
Luis Morato
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  public domain
  public domain
The iconic windmills illuminated at night.   Hugo Díaz-Regañón
  rheins/cc by 3.0
  Anna & Michal/cc by 2.0
The “Bolero” mill houses the tourism office.   Luis Morato / Atlas Obscura User
A view of Cerro Calderico from La Muela Castle.   Luis Morato / Atlas Obscura User
  Michal Osmenda/cc by 2.0
A windmills with La Muela Castle in the background.   Luis Morato / Atlas Obscura User
Don Quixote knocked down by the blade of a mill.   Fondo Antiguo de la Biblioteca de la Universidad de Sevilla/cc by 2.0
  Archimedes / Atlas Obscura User
  Archimedes / Atlas Obscura User
  MikeInSanFrancisco / Atlas Obscura User
  Archimedes / Atlas Obscura User
Los molinos de Consuegra   Xavixavir / Atlas Obscura User
  Archimedes / Atlas Obscura User
One of the windmills.   Luis Morato / Atlas Obscura User
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About

On the top of the Cerro Calderico mountain in the quaint historic town of Consuegra, 12 white tower windmills crown the hill, surrounded by the sprawling plains of Castilla-La Mancha and backdropped by a striking medieval castle. These iconic towers are believed to be the windmills described by Miguel de Cervantes in his famous 17th-century novel Don Quixote.

Each of the Consuegra windmills has a unique name taken from the novel, in which Don Quixote de la Mancha mistakes the towers for giants and picks a fight with them in a particularly memorable scene that coined the term "tilting at windmills."

Initially built to grind grain, the mills were modeled on the Dutch windmills of the 16th and 17th centuries, with a cylindrical tower and conical deck where the shaft and its four rectangular blades are housed. The interior is divided into three floors connected by a staircase along the wall. On the lower floor is the silo, where the ground grain was stored. On the second floor, there is a sieve to separate the flour from the bran. The third floor, the largest, houses the machinery, with the most striking element being the "Catalina" wheel. In the upper part of the wall, eight windows were opened to help the miller determine the direction of the wind and thus the orientation of the blades.

The tower mills were passed down through the generations until being retired in the 1980s. Twelve of the original 13 mills were restored and opened as a tourist attraction. In 2006, the windmills and the adjacent 12th-century Castle of La Muela were declared a cultural historic site.

Related Tags

Windmills Towers Giant Literature Books Authors Fiction History Medieval

Know Before You Go

Consuegra is just south of Toledo, about 87 miles (140 kilometers) from Madrid. The best way to get there is by car. Take the A-4 motorway road until you reach Madridejos. Then take the CM-42, and from there the exit 59 and the road CM-400 to reach Consuegra. From there, follow the signs. There is a small museum and visitors center at the site, and two windmills are still in working order so visitors can see the inner mechanisms of the mills.

Community Contributors

Added By

Luis Morato

Edited By

spencro, Meg, MikeInSanFrancisco, Archimedes...

  • spencro
  • Meg
  • MikeInSanFrancisco
  • Archimedes
  • Xavixavir
  • Ruby Slippers

Published

January 9, 2019

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Sources
  • https://adondeviajar.es/molinos-de-consuegra/
  • https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molinos_de_Consuegra
  • http://www.consuegra.es/conoce-consuegra/monumentos/molinos-de-viento
  • http://www.turismocastillalamancha.es/patrimonio/molinos-de-viento-y-alfar--consuegra-23464/descripcion/
  • https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Quijote_de_la_Mancha
Consuegra Windmills
39 Calle Cruz Verde
Consuegra
Spain
39.450806, -3.607386
Visit Website
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