Tinos Windmills

Tinos Windmills: The Windmills of Tinos Greece, Cyclades

Tinos Windmills: Tinos encompasses many architectural and artistic treasures of folk art. One such example of popular art and technique is the many windmills that were built here, some of which can be still seen today. During the Venetian occupation, wheat was cultivated in large amounts on the island to feed a population that used to be thrice the size of what it is today.

About eighty to onehundred windmills were therefore established to grind grain to not only fulfill the hunger needs of Tinos but that of surrounding islands as well.There were some

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watermills as well used for the irrigation of crops.

During the Second World War the millers of the island often put their own lives into danger by grinding flour late at night so that the people could atleast satisfy their hunger.

The windmills were usually circular in shape and were built near passes and crossroads to make it easy to transport raw materials to the windmills and the flour from the windmills to the villages.

However, choosing a location also involved keeping in mind the impact and direction of wind so that the sails on the wings would not tear. Therefore, millers either had to study the wind of every prospective location for about a year before setting up their windmill or choose those areas that were already tested by other millers.

These windmills usually consisted of three floors: the ground level, the middle level and the attic where the actual grinder was .There were also a lot of points to keep in mind while constructing a windmill. For one, the millstones came from the island of Milos and great care had to be taken to make sure that it fit perfectly inorder to carve out a grinder that was just right. Also the construction of the wooden mechanism demanded a great deal of knowledge and skill

The large wheel had to be pinned on the shaft that was usually made of cypress wood while its brier cogs had to fit perfectly into the metal spindles of the spinning wheel. The grooves that the flour passed through had to be protected so that there would be no waste of flour on its way to the storeroom. The blades and the sails had to be tied to the main hub and tightened securely on the axle journal. The whole mechanism had to fit properly in order to point the sails in the direction of the wind.

The last remaining owners of the windmills are thought to be the best amateur meteorologists as they have years of experience in forecasting weather. Quite a few of the windmills were in operation, some as recently as twenty years ago.

Today most are either deserted or completely ruined and only about twenty windmills remain. Two are still in operation: one is the Varvani's mill in the town of Tinos and the other is the Kosmas's mill on the road to Kampos. Through what remains, one can see how skilled and talented local craftsmen had to be. These windmills truly contribute to the cultural identity of the island.

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