The windmills of Régusse
Cultural and historical site
20 min
view point
Description
The two windmills are particularly well preserved because they were extensively renovated and repaired in 1995. They are located south of the village of Régusse and it is striking that they are lower than the nearby town centre. This is due to the special orientation of the two main wind directions. The mistral blows from the northwest here and the easterly wind comes more from the southeast.
The roof (hood) is thus rotatable like most windmills in Provence. The mills stand on a pedestal, the towers are six meters high and the bases are six meters in diameter. These are common values for buildings of this type in the region.
They could date from the 12th century, but the mill site has only been documented since the 14th century.
No reproduction is permitted without the written consent of the author. (id2800)
The Régusse windmills seen from the road
Access by public transport
Unfortunately there are only school buses that go to and from Régusse. It is really unfortunate that those responsible for politics and tourism are still doing far too little against car traffic. The villages of Provence are choked with traffic at times.
Access by car
The village of Régusse is located south of the Verdon and a little off the usual roads to the well-known canyon. We are located between Aups to the east and Montmeyan to the west. You can get to the town from all directions from the north-west and thus to the main street, the Cours Alexandre Gariel.
Parking site
You cannot stop in front of the mills and should either park on Cours Alexandre Gariel or in the car park below. The Régusse market, which takes place right here, may be complicating the access.
Access by short walk
We continue on the Cours Alexandre Gariel and thus come to the old village center. To avoid some traffic, we take Rue de la République on the left and at the first opportunity we turn right. Just over the next crossing we come down into the Rue des Moulins. 150 meters further ahead we come directly to the windmills.
You can see up to the village from the mills.
It is possible to leave the mill area down and walk around the base. This is how you get the view from below. Please do not trample around in the agricultural fields!
No reproduction is permitted without the written consent of the author. (id2801)
Village of Régusse seen from the mills
On the site, some old agricultural machines are exhibited outside.
No reproduction is permitted without the written consent of the author. (id2802)
Old hay rake
Guided tours
Access is free, but the mills can only be visited freely from the outside.
Free guided tours take place on Sundays and public holidays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. from May to September. In July and August in addition all the tours from Monday to Saturday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
There are weekends with longer openings: end of May (national mill-days), end of June (St. Jean), the first weekend of August during the Fête des Moulins (local mill festivities) and end of September for the European Heritage Days
The mill with wings has been completely restored according to plans from 1640, it is one of the last in the region to be able to produce flour. Similar mills can be found in Grimaud, Ramatuelle and Fontvieille (Moulin de Daudet).
The other, without wings, is now a museum of agricultural tools.
No reproduction is permitted without the written consent of the author. (id2803)
Windmill plan
You can take the same route back to the main square or you can explore the village a little more.
No reproduction is permitted without the written consent of the author. (id2799)
The windmills of Régusse