Windmills Consuegra, La Mancha, Spain (with Map & Photos)

Windmills Consuegra Spain


This chain of 12 Windmills in Consuegra is described in the history of Don Quixote and is one of the most iconic landscapes in Spain. At the top of Monte Cerro Calderico, in the picturesque historic city of Consuegra, there are 12 white windmills surrounded by the rolling plains of Castilla La Mancha and surrounded by an impressive medieval castle. These iconic towers are considered windmills, described by Miguel de Cervantes in his famous 17th-century novel, Don Quixote.

Each of Windmills Consuegra has a unique name, taken from a novel in which Don Quixote de la Mancha mistakes the towers for giants and begins to fight them in a particularly memorable scene that coined the term "fight against the windmills of wind".

Windmills Consuegra Spain 2
Windmills Consuegra Spain

Originally built to grind grain, Windmills Consuegra, were modeled after Dutch mills from the 16th and 17th centuries, with a cylindrical tower and a conical tray that houses a shaft and four rectangular blades. The interior is divided into three floors, connected by a stairway along the wall. On the lower floor, there is a bunker where the cereals were stored. On the second floor, there is a sieve to separate the flour from the bran. The third floor, the largest, accommodates equipment, and the most striking element is the Catalina wheel. Eight windows were opened at the top of the wall to help the miller determine the direction of the wind and, therefore, the orientation of the blades.

Windmills Consuegra were passed from generation to generation until their retirement in the 1980s. Twelve of the first 13 factories were restored and reopened as a tourist attraction. In 2006, the windmills and the adjacent castle of La Muela, from the 12th century, were declared a cultural and historical site. It is also one of the most famous ancient wind stairs in the world. Originally built to grind grain, Windmills Consuegra, Spain were modeled after Dutch mills from the 16th and 17th centuries, with a cylindrical tower and a conical tray that houses a shaft and four rectangular blades.

Windmills Consuegra Spain 3
Windmills Consuegra Spain

The interior is divided into three floors, connected by a stairway along the wall. On the lower floor, there is a bunker where the cereals were stored. On the second floor, there is a sieve to separate the flour from the bran. The third floor, the largest, accommodates equipment, and the most striking element is the Catalina wheel. Eight windows were opened at the top of the wall to help the miller determine the direction of the wind and, therefore, the orientation of the blades.

Windmills Consuegra, were passed from generation to generation until their retirement in the 1980s. Twelve of the first 13 factories were restored and reopened as a tourist attraction. In 2006, the windmills and the adjacent castle of La Muela, from the 12th century, were declared a cultural and historical site. It is also one of the most famous ancient wind stairs in the world.

Windmills Consuegra Google Maps