vandmølle

A vandmølle, or watermill, is a mill that uses flowing or falling water as its power source. Watermills have been used for millennia to mill grain, process timber, and perform other industrial tasks. The basic principle of a watermill involves harnessing the kinetic energy of water to turn a wheel, which in turn drives a mechanism.

There are several types of watermills, categorized primarily by the way the water strikes the wheel. Undershot waterwheels are the simplest, with the wheel floating in the stream and being propelled by the current. Overshot waterwheels, on the other hand, are fed water from above, allowing gravity to contribute to their rotation, making them more efficient. Breastshot waterwheels fall between these two, with water directed at the middle of the wheel.

Historically, watermills were crucial for agricultural societies, enabling efficient grain processing. They also played a significant role in the Industrial Revolution, powering early factories for tasks like sawing wood, fulling cloth, and hammering metal. The decline of the watermill began with the advent of steam power and later, electricity, which offered more reliable and adaptable energy sources.

While largely obsolete for industrial purposes, many historic watermills have been preserved as cultural heritage sites and museums. Some have also been repurposed for hydroelectric power generation on a small scale. The study of watermills provides insights into historical engineering, technological development, and the economic and social structures of past eras.