Mill Foundation 12 juillet 1731 (≈ 1731)
Act linking the Lord of Zoller to the miller Müller.
1934
Mill fire
Mill fire 1934 (≈ 1934)
Partial destruction before World War II.
1976
Purchase by the municipality
Purchase by the municipality 1976 (≈ 1976)
Start of site restoration.
17 mai 1987
Opening of the museum
Opening of the museum 17 mai 1987 (≈ 1987)
Inauguration of the centre for the interpretation of rural techniques.
2003
Addition of the teaching sawmill
Addition of the teaching sawmill 2003 (≈ 2003)
Reconstitution of old forest techniques.
2011
Creation of the apiary school
Creation of the apiary school 2011 (≈ 2011)
Discovery of beekeeping and bees.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Key figures
Jean Daniel Frederic de Zoller - Lord of Eschviller and Rolbing
Signed the act of foundation in 1731.
Sebastien Müller - Altheim miller
First mill operator according to the act.
Origin and history
The Eschviller mill, founded on 12 July 1731 by an act linking the lord Jean Daniel Frederic de Zoller to the mill Sebastien Müller, was a grain mill located on the Schwalb River in the village of Eschviller (Bitche). The perpetual lease imposed an annual cens of 32 spelt Malders, one pig and two chapons. This mill, a symbol of local milling activity, operated until World War II, despite recurring problems of profitability and a fire in 1934.
Destroyed during the war and abandoned, the site was bought in 1976 by the municipality of Volmunster. Thanks to the involvement of the district, the Vosges du Nord Natural Park and the Les Amis du Moulin association, reconstruction work began in 1979. The mill reopened in 1987 as a centre for the interpretation of rural techniques, highlighting the traditional trades (meuniers, sawmills) and the evolution of agricultural tools.
In 2003, an educational sawmill was added, illustrating the forestry techniques of the 17th to 20th centuries, including a 1773 high-iron saw. Since 2011, a school apiary has made it possible to discover beekeeping. Today, the Eschviller mill is the only grain mill still in operation out of the 16 that the Schwalb once had, and is part of the Moselle Grand Sites and the Discovery Chain network, focused on sustainable development.
The 25.6 km-long Schwalb river in Lemberg historically fed these mills. The site, located in the Moselle-Est living area, values industrial heritage as well as craftsmanship, such as bread making or logging. Its name, Eschweiler Mühle in German or Eschwiller Honey in Rhine francic, reflects its cross-border cultural anchor.
The museum's collections are based on historical research and donations, notably those of the association Les Amis du Moulin, which has allowed the restoration of the large wheel with blades (5 meters in diameter). Live demonstrations and temporary exhibitions complete the visit, offering an immersion in the rural life of Dantan.
