Watermill in Pastavy: A Nineteenth-Century Grain Mill in Belarus
Site at a Glance
- Popularity
- Low
- Country
- Belarus
- Primary era
- Modern
- Eras represented
- Modern
- Civilizations
- Russian
- Site type
- Economic
- Remains
- Watermill
History
The Watermill in Pastavy, Belarus, is a brick industrial mill built in the second half of the nineteenth century in the late Classical style, a later form of Neoclassical architecture. It was probably constructed on the site of an older wooden mill that had burned down. Initially one storey high, the building was enlarged to three storeys late in the nineteenth century.
The mill was restored in 1994. Since 1998, it has housed the Pastavy House of Crafts “Old Mill.” It is recognized as an architectural monument and listed among the historical and cultural values of the Republic of Belarus.
Remains
The mill has a rectangular plan and three storeys of brickwork. It stands on the bank of the Myadelka River beside a bridge, at 10 Krasnoarmeyskaya Street. A broad central section projects from the street-facing facade and contains the main entrance, whose round-arched opening is flanked by two small columns. Small rectangular windows punctuate the massive walls, with molded horizontal bands between the floors and a cornice above. A gabled roof caps the building.
The interior was arranged for grain processing. A turbine on the first floor harnessed water power, and a multi-stage system carried that power to the machinery. Millstones on the second floor ground grain. The third floor held auxiliary rooms and equipment for cleaning, hulling, and further processing it.
