from history
The Vierradenmühle is inextricably linked to the history of Görlitz. We don't know when the first mill was built on the banks of the Neisse. It was probably already there when the city was founded and laid out, i.e. soon after the year 1200, or at the latest it was laid out at that time. It is also uncertain whether it has always had its place where it is today. Perhaps it was initially located further downstream at the outflow of the Lunitz in the Neisse and was only given its place at the bridge when this was built and at the same time the weir necessary for mill operations was set up. At first it didn't belong to the city, which one would have expected. The city administration had always been anxious to secure the rights to vital businesses and products in order to lease them out for interest, as it had done with salt and woad. Even in the “oldest council accounts up to 1419” it is only mentioned once, and in this case only to describe city property in more detail. It says there in 1381: “Sabbato in die Mathei quod reformatus fuit murus circa quattuor rotas 18 gr.” “On Saturday, on the day of Matthäi (September 21st), 18 groschen were spent because the wall at the Vierradenmühle was restored.”
In 1398 it was called “mol vor dem Nysthor” elsewhere, and in 1406 “yn vir Raden”. In 1448 Nicol Arnold sold his quarter of the mill to the city council.
On June 12, 1525 there was a great fire that destroyed a third of the city. The greedy flames also ran to the Neisse. The Neißturm, Neißbadestube and bridge were caught in the fire. It stopped in front of the mill and was spared. Until 1531 the entire building stood on stilts. Now it has been built from scratch in stone.
We find the oldest illustration of the mill on the valuable city view of Metzker and Scharffenbergk from 1565.
On the left we see the roof of the wooden Neißbrücke, which was partially rebuilt after the fire mentioned above. The gable of the Neißtor looks above it on the left, and above it the substructure of the Neißturm. It was connected to the gate by a cross gate that sealed off the lower bare area. The passage through the city wall adjoined the tower to the right.
As mentioned above, the actual Neißtor was located at the bridge, which allowed a view of the houses on lower Neißstrasse.
The wall surrounding the Kirchberg continued to adjoin the passage; behind it the rent house with its supporting pillars became visible. The mill now stood in the middle. Its three gables still have a Gothic appearance, while on the water side there were three extensions in the spirit of the new style, the Renaissance.
A narrower building provided the connection between the Neißtore and the mill. A door gave access to the cloth mill standing on poles, which will be discussed in more detail later.
Four undershot, clumsy wheels, which gave the mill its name, stand out strongly. Between it and the city wall on the right we see the Hothertor, which closed the alley of the same name at the southern entrance. This is the picture of the mill and its immediate surroundings from the middle of the 16th century. On the whole, this picture changed little over the next three centuries.
It wasn't until around 1830 that new construction and renovations began, which gave the building a different look. Before we go into this in more detail, let us briefly remember the events that the mill suffered during the Thirty Years' War. From mid-July to the end of September 1641, the Swedes under Colonel Wancke were in our city and were surrounded and besieged by the imperial and Electoral Saxon troops. Many thousands of bullets flew into the wailing city, and some even hit the mill. Simultaneous diaries provide detailed reports of all events. We would like to mention a few of them relating to the mill: “August 13th. This night the Imperials dropped a mine in Hothergasse that had been placed against the Vierradenmühle, but because it was too short, it had little effect.” “September 10th. This morning the Imperial and Saxons bombarded the 4th wheel mill with 2 coarse pieces and shot the wheels and shafts in 5 gears in two so that it was no longer possible to grind with them. Nobody is allowed to be seen at the bikes before the shooting.” “September 24th. The 4 Radenmühle was again damaged with shots so that it could not be milled, but had to be rebuilt at night.” So much for the reports about the mill.
One of the most beautiful views we have of the mill is the picture from 1800 by Nathe, which we want to look at using the site plan from 1835. Here we see them in almost the same condition as they were two or three centuries before. On the far right rises the Neißtor with its high entrance that leads to the bridge. In front of it, leaning against the short city wall, which is not visible here, is the half-timbered gate control building. Behind this the narrow “Schützsteg” leads to Tuchwalke. Now comes the tall white gable of the mill itself, the top of which appears to be crowned by a figure. We can clearly see the Renaissance windows.
There are two panels between the three windows above the wide entrance, and a third in the middle of the gable. These three panels contain inscriptions about the construction history of the mill. The adjacent semi-detached house has a Gothic gable in its left half. This half of the house appears to us again later under the name “Mehlführer Apartment”.
A curved wall separated the lower part of the square from the higher part, which forms the access to Hothergasse. This is only narrow here and is bordered on the left by the wall that encloses the Kirchberg. In front of it, in the foreground on the left, is the gate guard's house, and even further ahead we can imagine the entrance to the city and the Neißturm. In the background rises the high choir of St. Peter's Church with its slender roof turret. In its structure, with its alternation of light and dark, it is an extremely picturesque picture. The mill and its surroundings retained this appearance until 1827. Then the major changes began, which gradually gave the area a different appearance.
We now want to look at the inscriptions that the mill bore up to this time and which were recorded by an unknown illustrator. The oldest of them, which was above the entrance, is somewhat unclear and cannot be fully deciphered; it reads: “In gate 1561 you will see the foreground and this rubbish.” A second contains only the numbers: “1615 D. 31 JULY...”
It was on a corbel. A third inscription, which was on the gable next to the Neisse, is certainly related to this year. The illustrator found it incomplete. Based on older records it read:
“The construction of this gable began in 1615 and was completed in 1616 under the administration of Mr. Johann Glich v. Milziz Gonf., Mr. Friedrich Schwettichs and Hans Redliches. Renon. Ao 1717.”
The Vierradenmühle has largely changed its appearance little over the course of several centuries. So it was no wonder when her condition gradually got worse. Especially from the years 1753 and 1758 we are told that repairs were necessary several times at the instigation and under the direction of the building inspector Modrach. In particular, because of water penetration into the lower rooms, the walls were sealed with fertilizer and turf. There are also frequent reports about the renewal of the specialist tree. This appears to have been an event of particular importance. In 1821 the rear building was in a threatening condition. By decision of the relevant authorities, hydropower may only be used to make flour. The tanners and red tanners who also took part in this were upset and protested; whereupon an amicable agreement is reached. In 1822, the farm owner Wolf bought the mill for 5,000 marks. Four years later, the water master Geißler took it over for 8,000 marks. In 1827 he began the renovation. The entrance was to be moved to Hotherstrasse, where the tanners had previously piled their tanners; this now found its place on the opposite city wall. The renovation was completed in November and the building was raised by two floors. Now a wool spinning mill was set up and the gear of the fourth gear was used as a generating force. In 1829, Geißler sold half of the mill and the spinning mill to the cloth manufacturer Gotthelf Ender for 4,000 marks and at the same time half of the remaining part to his son Ernst Friedrich for 2,000 marks. 6 years later he left the rest to his son for 9,625 marks. The “flour cab” has always been an obstacle to traffic. It should disappear. As a replacement, the owner of the mill is offered the opposite angle on the city wall or on the Kirchberge. Ten years passed and Geissler had to be reminded three times to demolish the flour cab before it finally happened. In 1847 the walls of this house fell. In the meantime, changes had also taken place in the immediate vicinity of the effort: the Neißturm, the landmark of the eastern exit of the city and the protector of the old Neiße bridge, was demolished in 1835. At the same time, the adjoining passage and the gate guard disappeared. The Neißtor itself, which until then was still impressively high, was partially demolished and made simpler. When in 1841 a wagon loaded with wool got stuck in the gate, it was decided to remove the entire roof. Around 1780, the small half-timbered house leaning against the gate was built as a guard station for the city soldiers. Later it served as an excise station. This building also disappeared after it was returned in 1857. At the same time, Geißler presented a new construction plan that provided for an expansion of the mill. So it was increased by another two floors. That was the last big change she experienced. After that it stood like that for around 70 years, a somewhat sober building that didn't fit in with the picturesque beauties of St. Peter's Church and the Renthaus.
Big changes happened in 1928 when the city demolished the Vierradenmühle and its annexes and a new mill was built in their place. This new building contributed to a more beautiful cityscape. In 1929/30 the new hydroelectric power station was built by the city of Görlitz. This is a power plant with a direct current machine. This system was able to produce an output of approx. 160 kW. The owners were the Görlitzer Stadtwerke. The electricity generated in this way was used, among other things, to supply the Görlitz tram. The hydroelectric power plant represented technical progress at the time. A double-regulated Kappler turbine was an expression of this. The lifting chamber system is worth highlighting in this technology. The water was raised by half a meter and at the same time a negative pressure was created. This power plant was in operation until the 1960s. This system became unprofitable during the GDR era. That was also the reason it was torn down. From this point on, the Vierradenmühle property served the Görlitz Water Management Directorate as a storage room for sandbags, shovels and other tools.
In 1991/92 Dietmar Dorfe took over the Vierradenmühle building. An operator concept was developed in collaboration with the municipal utilities. The focus was on the desire to build a listed power plant and combine it with a catering establishment. The necessary power plant technology came from Switzerland. The new thing about this technology is that instead of a gearbox, the hydroelectric power plant is started by a belt drive. The technical structure was officially put into operation on the Day of the Saxons in 1993, which took place in Görlitz. The property was then expanded in a very short time with the opening of a restaurant. Mr. Dorfer operates the power plant on behalf of the municipal utility company and is the tenant of the “Vierradenmühle” restaurant. A special feature worth mentioning is that when the guest enters the restaurant, they can see the drive disk of the double-regulated turbine in operation through a glass plate on the floor. This is a unique experience for guests and tourists. The turbine has a absorption capacity of 10m³/s and an output of approx. 200 kW at a 2.70m gradient. This hydroelectric power plant will reduce the burden on the environment by around 1,000 t of carbon monoxide. Furthermore, the entire property is heated via a heat pump. The other part of the energy generated goes to the public utility network. This technological marvel generates 1.1 to 1.2 million kWh per year. A visit to this technical attraction is recommended to every Görlitz resident and their guests.
