Windmill in Klobouky u Brna

The windmill in Klobouky u Brna is a wooden post mill standing on a hillside at the edge of this small town in the Břeclav district of South Moravia. Although the structure visitors see today was rebuilt in the 1980s, it faithfully recreates a windmill that stood on the same spot from the mid-18th century onward and was the last of several windmills that once operated in and around Klobouky.

Why was there a windmill here in the first place?

The hills around Klobouky are exposed to steady winds, which made the area well suited to windmill milling for centuries. Several windmills once stood in and around the town, but their number dwindled over time until only one remained standing into the 20th century. That last surviving mill was built in 1748. It belonged to the Zábrdovice monastery, and its construction was designed by carpenter Jan Rigler. It was a post mill (the German-type design common in the region), roughly 6 metres wide and 14.5 metres tall — a structure that shaped the town's skyline on its southern slopes for nearly two centuries.

What happened to the original 18th-century mill?

The 1748 windmill survived until the very end of the Second World War. On 16 April 1945, during the liberation of Klobouky, it was struck by artillery fire from the Red Army and burned to the ground. With it, the area lost its last operating windmill after almost two hundred years of continuous milling tradition.

How was the windmill rebuilt?

Local history enthusiasts were unwilling to let the landmark disappear for good. They located a similar, badly dilapidated windmill of the same type in the village of Pacetluky, in the Kroměříž region, and after negotiations with its owners, the main structural components were transported to Klobouky in July 1982. Restoration work ran from 1983 to 1985, and the windmill was rebuilt on the exact site where its 1748 predecessor had stood. It reopened to the public on 1 June 1985. In 2000, the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic declared the windmill a protected cultural monument.

What can visitors see inside today?

The windmill is one of the few in the Czech Republic that retains complete interior milling equipment and remains fully functional. Inside, visitors can see the original gearing, millstones, and transmission mechanisms once driven purely by wind power, and a guide explains how the whole grain-milling process worked in a traditional post mill of this type.

When and how can you visit?

The windmill is open to the public from 1 May to 30 September, on Saturdays and Sundays between 10:00–12:00 and 14:00–17:00. A guided tour lasts around 45 minutes. A standard ticket costs 60 CZK, a reduced ticket 30 CZK, and photography or filming inside is free of charge. Visits on weekdays or outside the summer season must be arranged in advance by phone or email with the site's caretakers.

Frequently asked questions

Is this the original 18th-century windmill? Not literally — the original mill, built in 1748, burned down in 1945 during the town's liberation. The current structure is a faithful reconstruction from 1983–1985, built using components brought from a similar windmill in Pacetluky and erected on the historical site.

How long does a visit take? A standard guided tour lasts approximately 45 minutes.

How much does admission cost? A standard ticket is 60 CZK, and a reduced ticket is 30 CZK.

Can you visit outside the weekend opening hours? Yes, but weekday and off-season visits need to be arranged in advance with the site's staff.

Where exactly is the windmill located? On a hillside at the edge of the town of Klobouky u Brna, on the southern slopes above the town, in the Břeclav district of South Moravia.