The Campo de Criptana Windmills, Campo de Criptana

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The Windmills are located on the outskirts of Campo de Criptana, in the so-called Sierra de los Molinos (Mountain Range of the Windmills) and the Cerro de la Paz. They were used to grind wheat for bread making, aided by the force of the wind.

They are, according to students of Cervantes, some of the mills that inspired Miguel de Cervantes to create the famous adventure of Chapter 8 of Don Quixote.

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The Campo de Criptana Windmills, Campo de Criptana

Contact address for The Campo de Criptana Windmills

Barbero, 1, 13610
Campo de Criptana (Ciudad Real)

Phone: 926 562 231 / 926 563 931

Fax: 926 563 931

Email: turismo@campodecriptana.es

Website: www.campodecriptana.info

Location

In the Sierra de los Molinos and the Cerro de la Paz.

Type of monument: Popular Art

History: The windmill appeared in the 11th century, although they were not built in La Mancha until the second half of the 16th century.

Period: 16th – 20th centuries.

Special trips: Museums about Windmills and the area around Campo de Criptana.

How to get there: Road transport

One of Campo de Criptana’s biggest attractions is, without doubt, its celebrated Windmills, unmissable landmarks and symbol of the lands of La Mancha.
There were once 32 mills, but now only 10 remain standing, in varying states of repair. The three oldest are the Burleta, the Infanto and the Sardinero, which date back to the 16th century, around 1500-1555, and still retain their original machinery; the rest were built in the 20th century.

They are cylindrical in shape, whitewashed, with door openings and tiny square windows, dotted irregularly around the walls.

The roof is a wooden conical structure, with a triangular protrusion that supports the axis of the arms, and on the other side, a long trunk that follows the direction it is moved by the wind.

They use the wind to drive their simple mechanisms: as the blades turn, the movement is transferred to a vertical axis via gears, that in turn move a circular stone over another, that is fixed, and the grains of wheat are ground between the two.

The Burleta Mill, is six meters in diameter and under the door, made of wood lined with zinc, there are twelve windows, oriented to the 12 winds that blow in the area. The interior has three levels, the first two are for collecting and storing the flour, the third houses the complete machinery, which could still grind flour.

The rest of the mills house different and original exhibitions, as well as the Tourist Information Office for the area.