Bakery

Johanna – a historical windmill, a landmark and an identification point for Wilhelmsburg’s population – is being upgraded to become “Hamburg’s Windmill Museum Adventure”, giving people of all ages an insight into the traditional ways of processing grains and making bread. An essential part of the concept will be a baker’s shop in the immediate neighbourhood of the mill. Fresh “Wilhelmsburg Miller’s Bread” will come out of the wooden oven fresh and with its unique smell and flavour.

Built in 1875, Windmill Johanna has been a registered technical monument since 1941 and is one of the most important symbols of Wilhelmsburg’s mainly agricultural heritage. It is Hamburg’s most important windmill and is sponsored by the non-profit organisation Wilhelmsburger Mühlenverein [Wilhelmsburg Windmill Association]. Apart from a number of events like the “Wilhelmsburger Mühlenfest” [“Wilhelmsburg Windmill Festival”], the “Seniorencafé” [“Senior Citizen Café”] or the “Musik und Theater in der Mühle” series [“Music and Drama in the Mill”], upgrading Johanna to become “Hamburg’s Windmill Museum Adventure” and operating it together with a newly build bakery has been an important goal for the organisation.

Baking bread at Windmill Johanna has a long-standing tradition. The bakery and its wooden oven, which were once used to increase the miller’s income, are going to be an essential part of the Windmill Museum Adventure, demonstrating the traditional way of processing grains, grinding flour and coarse meal and baking bread, giving visitors a chance to experience it first-hand. The focus of the bakery lies on making its own bakery products with traditional methods in a wooden oven, for instance “Wilhelmsburg Miller’s Bread” baked with grains provided by “AURORA MÜHLE HAMBURG” and rye meal and wheat flour ground in Windmill Johanna. This used to be done in an electric oven at the Becker bakery in Marmstof in the past.

The bakery is built, supported and operated by the Wilhelmsbuger Mühlenverein e.V.. Young people, who otherwise lack opportunity, help during construction. During the opening days of the mill there will be baking presentations as well as a demonstration of the milling of grains. Apart from this, special baking days are planned for groups and classes of schoolchildren. Operation is supervised by a retired master baker. We are also planning to offer the bakery for use by the Vocational School of Bakery and Confectionery as well as the Hamburg Bakers’ Guild, e.g. for training purposes.

Not only will this bakery become another point of attraction for the mill, but it will strengthen Wilhelmsburg’s touristic value and attractiveness as a recreational location. IBA Hamburg is supporting this project with a contribution of 50,000 Euros.