Arén

Arén can be found on the road between Viella, or Pont de Suert, and Lerida. Coming from the south (say Puente Montañana) you'll first find a branch to the left towards the village of Arén. Less than half a km more to the north there is a cluster of some buildings at the right. A gravel road next to the first construction (a pharmacy at the time of our visit) will bring you to the mill after some 300m. There is a nice tree providing shadow.
The mill used water from the Río Noguera Ribagorzana.

The village is worth a visit for its museum and the Ruta de los Dinosaurios.

Pictures: 03.XI.2010

This mill was allegedly the biggest ever in Alto Aragón (†). Nowadays it's reduced to rubble between trees of a considerable size. Sections of the walls managed to stay upright making it possible to recognize the purpose of some of the divisions.

Pallaruelo (†) devotes considerable attention to the properties of the place but fails to mention the drawings on the front wall, though they are the most striking feature that survived and in his time (1994) must have been much easier to discern.


	(1) Façade of the mill of Arén — Notice the faded drawings next to the door.


	(2) Drawings of mill stones with harp dressing. Bigger image

This is not an easy place to visit. It's probably best to start with a walk around the premises.

Rounding the corner to the left you'll first find the remains of a channel running into a series of small containers (3). These open into kind of a cellar that is situated below the corridor running between the doors shown in (1) and (7). Originally hollow wooden beams crossed the space and brought the water to the wheels (6) situated in the harinero (5). Very similar to the open channels found in Ainielle, La Cabezonada and Alins, but then in the basement instead of outside.

(5) The grain mill section

A bit further on, the wall carries some insulators and supports (4): witnesses of its time as a provider of electricity to the village. Continue and round the wall to slip into the former oil mill (9-12) where some beams and containers are waiting for you between the blackberries.

The wheat mill (5) is hidden behind the wall and the green in the right half of (1). Notice that the window and the door seen from the inside (5) are not visible in (1)!

†

Pallaruelo Campo, Severino —1994— Los Molinos del Altoaragón.
Instituto de Estudios Altoaragoneses (Diputación de Huesca)
ISBN: 84-8127-013-X