A windmill in Malta is not a postcard prop. For about three centuries the islands depended on them, and a visit to one of the two survivors shows how thin the margin between grain and hunger once was.
How many mills there once were
In the old days there were at least 69 windmills on the islands, 54 on Malta and 15 on Gozo. Today very few remain with their sails intact, and the two that make good visits are Ta’ Kola in Xagħra and Xarolla in Żurrieq.
The first mill went up in 1530, followed by a second in 1565. They were post mills, an early design in which the whole machinery compartment turned on a vertical post to face the wind. The Knights of St John brought the mechanism from Rhodes. Most of the later mills were built in the period between 1663 and 1773.
The Grand Masters and the mills
Grand Master Nicola Cottoner, who came from the Balearic Islands, introduced a different mechanism and, together with his brother Rafael, started mills in Floriana, Bormla, Naxxar, Xebbuġ and Żurrieq, followed by Lija, Għaxaq and Żejtun. Later Grand Master Manoel de Vilhena ordered five more, including sites in Birkirkara, Rabat and Żurrieq.
Mills were placed so that each could be seen from the next, which let a miller check at a glance whether the neighbours were turning. It is also possible that the chain doubled as a basic communication and defence line.
Xarolla in Żurrieq
Xarolla was built in 1724 and restored more than once, most recently in 2011. It is one of the few mills that can still grind wheat, which gives the visit an advantage over a purely static display. A two-storey square building surrounds the tower, and this is where the miller and his family lived.
Opening is limited, with Saturday and Sunday mornings the regular window and other days by appointment, so this one needs planning. Żurrieq itself is close to some of Malta’s best-known sights, including the Blue Grotto and the temples of Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra, which makes a combined southern day easy.
Ta’ Kola in Xagħra
Ta’ Kola stands in Xagħra and was built around 1725 under Vilhena. The original materials turned out to be poor and the mill was rebuilt in the 1780s, which may explain why it survives in such good shape. Inside you see the grinding mechanism, the miller’s tools and household items, and rooms furnished to show how a country family lived.
It is a short drive from the Ġgantija temples and the red sand of Ramla Bay, so on Gozo it slots into a loop of the northeast. The interior is compact and quiet, with a good sense of the work involved.
What the miller’s day looked like
When the wind rose, the miller blew through a bronja, a triton shell, to tell the village that the mill was ready, and the locals brought their grain. In calm weather there was nothing to grind, so millers needed other work. That detail explains why the tools and furniture on display matter as much as the machinery.
Later steam-driven mills appeared, especially around the Grand Harbour, and most wind-powered mills stopped work by about 1900. Until 1838 the government held a monopoly on windmill building, and after that anyone could build one, which led to new construction for a while.
Reading the countryside differently
Once you know the logic of the mill chain, the countryside looks different. Windmill towers stood on rises and open ground, away from the shelter of village walls, and the sites that survive still have clear air around them. Look for the square building at the base of each tower and the stairway inside. The tower of a steam-era mill could be around 15 metres high, with a stair of about 50 steps, while the older wind mills are lower and more modest.
The grain was wheat and barley, and bread was the staple food. A mill was not a picturesque feature but part of a daily supply system, which is why governments tried to control it for so long.
Practical points
Both sites are managed by Heritage Malta, and its website is the place to check current opening, because the two mills run to different schedules. Xarolla is open on only certain days, so confirm before setting out.
Bring a hat for the walk from the car park, as the open fields around both mills have little shade. Photographs work best in the morning light, when the whitewashed stone and the sails show the most detail.
Visit one mill per island day rather than forcing both. Pair Xarolla with the south coast and Ta’ Kola with the temples and beaches of Xagħra and Ramla.
