Sweden 2021 part IV - Windmills on Öland

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Windmills en masse

We might as well begin by admitting that we cheat a little bit this time. Some of the text, which isn't much in the first place, we have simply copied from other blog entries we have written. But we spend much time writing all the other blog entries that we think that once in a while we can allow ourselves to put together one entry where we don't have to write quite as much as we normally do.



Also, when we started this blog in 2006 the main purpose was to make it possible for us to upload photos and make them available to our friends and relatives. It was publishing the photos that was the main purpose, not actually writing the text which accompanies the pictures. The purpose of this particular blog entry is to publish photos of windmills. We find this collection of photos of the many windmills on Öland to be interesting enough to warrant a blog entry of their own. So now, staying true to the original purpose of this blog, we have published photos and made them available to you.



From time to time we write blog entries with a theme. Typically we do this when we find something that defines a town, city or region. Something that sticks out or makes it special. On Öland the thing that really is defining or sticks out is the large number of windmills. Supposedly there are around 400 windmills on the island, and that is about one fifth of the number that existed when windmills were actually used to grind grains to flour. Today they are kept because they are an important part of the cultural heritage.



The windmills come in several styles and sizes. Most of the windmills are actually quite small. For a windmill to work it is important that the wind comes from the right direction. The small ones were built in such a way that the entire windmill could be turned around to adjust for winds coming from any direction. For the larger windmills the top of the building was build such that it could be turned around to catch the wind no matter what direction it came from.



Why are there so many windmills on Öland? Our guess is that there are no streams that are suitable for water powered mills anywhere on Öland. But this is just a guess.



By the way, one of the windmills we have already mentioned in our previous blog entry. It is strictly not a windmill. It is a wind powered stone polishing machine.



Oh yes, for the fun of it we also added a photo of a wind turbine. That is strictly speaking not a windmill either if we are to be correct.



If you liked this blog entry then we can recommend a few other theme blogs we have written over the years. In Rome we decided to write a blog entry about all the fountains we saw when we walked around there. In Saint-Louis in Senegal we were fascinated by the balconies. That was not the first time we decided to take a lot of pictures of balconies. We did that in Kotor in Montenegro and in Tblisi in Georgia as well. Doors can also be interesting by the way. That is something Ake found out when he was in the city Sur in Oman.

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Photos

Three windmills
In Vickleby there are two groups with three windmills in each group

Stone windmill
The larger windmills are build from stone

There are many windmills on Öland
On Öland the thing that really is defining or sticks out is the large number of windmills

One of 400 or so windmills
Supposedly there are around 400 windmills on the island

Sandvik windmill
The largest windmill in Scandinavia

Small windmill
Most of the windmills are actually quite small.

From where is the wind blowing today?
For a windmill to work it is important that the wind comes from the right direction.

A bit cute
The small windmills are a bit cute

Why are there so many windmills on Öland?
Why are there so many windmills on Öland? Our guess is that there are no streams that are suitable for water powered mills anywhere on Öland.

One of the larger windmills
One of the larger windmills on Öland

Can be turned around
The small windmills were built in such a way that the entire windmill could be turned around to adjust for winds coming from any direction.

Has seen better day
Some pieces have broken off from this windmill. It has clearly seen better days

"Take these broken wings"
"Take these broken wings and learn to fly again learn to live so free" /Mr Mister

Kalevi windmill
Kalevi windmill is one of only three Dutch windmills on Öland

The top can be turned
For the larger windmills the top of the building was build such that it could be turned around to catch the wind no matter what direction it came from.

Lerkaka
In Lerkaka there are five windmills standing in a row

Windmill and a stone ship
An irone age burial monument, a so called stone ship, is in front of this windmill

Two windmills
Two windmills close to each other

Jordhamns skurkvarn
This is strictly not a windmill. It is a wind powered stone polishing machine

Jordhamns skurkvarn
Close-up of Jordhamns skurkvarn

Broken windmill
The windmills are all old and some of them have not been cared for properly for a long time

Wind turbine
This is a wind turbine. That is strictly speaking not a windmill if we are to be correct.

Comments

[Rainyb]

Wow. windows - does someone live there?

[Ake Och Emma]

Possibly a café
If I remember it right there was some kind of business using those premisses. Possibly a café. It might have been an ice cream vendor as well. /Ake

[Rainyb]

Do they adjust themselves?

[Ake Och Emma]

Manually
They are manually adjusted to match the winds. /Ake

[Rainyb]

What makes them different?

[Ake Och Emma]

New technology
The small ones were built using an older kind of technology. They were built small because they were forced to move the entire windmill around to adjust for the wind. Later they learned how to build them so that only the top had to be adjusted. Then the rest of the windmill could be build larger and heavier since it was resting on the ground. /Ake

[Rainyb]

Interesting!

[Rainyb]

We have lots of these on the prairies & they generate electricity.

[Rainyb]

Interesting blog. Thanks for sharing.

[Ake Och Emma]

Thank you for reading
Thank you very much for reading our blog. /Ake

[D MJ Binkley]

Windmills and more
I like your themed blogs. You are right about doors and fountains being good subjects. I like the windmills a lot. Thanks for taking us along.

[Ake Och Emma]

And we like writing them
Good to hear, because we really like writing them. For us to give you an idea of what Öland is like it was either to do it like this or to in the other blog entries have every third photo being a windmill. Because that was pretty much what it was like travelling there. /Ake

[Dancing Dave]

The Windmills of Öland
Talk about fascinating...can imagine heads popping out of the base structures in days of yore. Two questions. Do they draw water from the water table being their use in Australia, or is their use just for grinding or wind energy? Have the vanes or blades been stripped as they appear to be mainly frames?

[Ake Och Emma]

Almost exclusively for grinding flour
Almost all of these windmills were built for grinding flour. Typically in northern Europe we have so much rain during a growing season that using a windmill for pumping water has not been necessary. Two of the windmills that we included in the blog entry have have been built for other purposes. One of the old ones was used for polishing stones and a new one was built for generating electricity. When the windmills were in use the blades would have been covered probably with some kind of cloth acting more or less as a sail. Since the windmills are not in use our guess is that they have removed this cloth since otherwise they would have to change it regularly. /Ake

[starship VT]

Great Collection!
I like this collection of windmill photos which shows how similar, yet how different they can be! This particular windmill looks like it could be the subject of a nursery rhyme to me!

[Ake Och Emma]

That one was on private land
I had to use a large zoom lens to take that photo because the windmill sits on private land and the owners didn't want people to wander up to it. All of the others we could walk up to though. /Ake

[alex waring]

Windmills
I love windmills! What a treat to be able to see so many in just one small area. And I like your idea of publishing a blog entry on a theme, rather than a destination or a trip.

[Ake Och Emma]

We really like windmills
We really like windmills. We think they are nice to look at. Glad you enjoyed reading our blog entry about them and thank you forbcommenting. / Ake