Path: Introduction - Visit the mills; catalogue - Gistain - Chistau Nederlands
Mills in Altoaragón - harinero

Gistain - Chistau
Gistain - Chistau lies in its own valley. Leave L'Ainsa towards Bielsa and the French border. Turn right in Salinas de Sin and follow the signposts Plan then San Juan de Plan and after that Gistain. Drop the car in (or a bit before) the first hair-pin where the branch toward Viados is. From there walk to the north (towards Viados) until you find the construction on your right side. You can also visit the saw-mill while walking along the road from the flour mill back to your car.
The mill takes water from the Río Cinqueta.

Pictures: 06.XI.2001
 
  serrería harinero  
 
Front of the mill Back-wall with supply channel
The construction is in good condition. The ground-floor where the work-place is, was safely locked up. We found a peep-hole and think that the major part of tools and machinery are still in place. The next floor is furnished as living quarters and can be reached from a door in the back wall of the mill. The water-inlet (presa) is about 200 m upstream in a riverbend. From a huge rock in the middle a low concrete azud has been built featuring holes probably for poles to heighten the dam. A robust trunk lies tied up before the dam and in this way protects the inlet for any debris coming down with the current.
 
Presa - water-inlet Wide and shallow water channel Outlet and start of channel
to the saw-mill
From the presa a wide and shallow channel finds its way to the mill. For the last section, a dam had to be built to prevent escape of the waters to the meadows (see picture of back-wall). The canal then splits in a branch going to the mill and a bypass. Both flows come together below the mill. A this point the miller could purge the water back into the Río Cinqueta or direct it towards the saw-mill further down the road.
 
Cárcavo Inside the cárcavo
The cárcavo is very spacious and opens with a nice pointed arc. (Find another open cárcavo in Torrolluala) The cárcavo houses a modern turbine and gearing for the machinery (generator and stones) on the first floor.
 
  serrería harinero  
 
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