Mills in Alto Aragón - central eléctrica
Labuerda
Labuerda is situated on the road from
L'Ainsa towards Bielsa and the French border. The mill is in a bend of this road just to the north of Labuerda.
The locals know this spot as the
curva del molino.
The molino aceitero is built in the riverbed next to the harinero.
Both mills receive water from the Río Cinca.
Make sure to carry a light if you go inside.
Pictures: VIII.2011
A double-width wooden door (1) opens directly into the main
floor (22, 23). There is one huge main space with some smaller separate rooms (22).
A look at the floor shows clearly that these must be later additions. A scribble on one of the
walls suggests that the reforms date from the early 1940s at the latest. The rooms do not
communicate with each other and there is no hint at what they were used for.
Part of the floor is in wood. There is a trap-door (22)
giving access to the level below. It was pitch dark and I considered the ladder not trustworthy and I
therefore did not descend, but I guessed there were empty sockles.
This mill is stripped of everything apart from the alternator, a few switches and some insulators (see
triplets of white dots on the beams 22, 23).
While the workplace is almost empty it's definitely
interesting to take a closer look at the walls which are covered with scribbles, sums and drawings.
They come in grey (pencil), blue and black and in several layers which adds to the challenge to decipher them.
The writings on the wall range from simple reminders or short notes
in relation to the daily business (31) to elaborate drawings like a complete millstone dressing pattern (28).
We've found small electrical schemes (30), drawings for fun (32) and texts similar to logbook entries.
