The windmills of Mota del Cuervo

Mota del Cuervo, Cuenca, Castilla-La Mancha.
Special mention / Diploma in the category Conservation / Conservation and adaptive reuse in the year 1994.

Dating of the building: 16th - 17th century.

Applicant: Mota del Cuervo Town Council, Amigos de Los Molinos Association.

Reason for the award :

For the work of conditioning and improving the Mota del Cuervo mills.

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  • OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Europa Nostra rewarded the effort of the town of Mota del Cuervo for preserving its century-old mills and rescuing them from neglect.

The windmill is part of the famous Spanish heritage. Its figure is unequivocally associated with Don Quixote and the Castilian landscape of La Mancha. Some are the towns that still preserve windmills: Campo de Criptana, Alcázar de San Juan, El Romeral, Valdepeñas, and some of them are outside Castile, such as Mallorca, Cartagena, and Vejer de la Frontera. The Cuenca town of Mota del Cuervo had eighteen, all centenarians, and some were active until 1928. With the arrival of electricity, these buildings became obsolete and were only saved from destruction thanks to the Amigos de Los Molinos Association, founded in 1955, and with the involvement of the Town Council. Restorations have been taking place since then, the last consisting in the replacement of the blades and gears, the reconstruction of the wooden decks, the repairing of carpentry of doors and windows, and the paving of the floors with clay tiles. These mills are used today as museums, workshops, or study and training centres.

Others awards in Castilla-La Mancha: