Ta' Kola Windmill in Gozo re-opens its doors

Ta’ Kola Windmill in Xagħra Gozo will re-open its doors to the visitors tomorrow, 3rd September, after it was temporary closed due to works on the final phase of the windmill’s mechanism reconstruction project carried out by Heritage Malta.

The project to restore Ta’ Kola Windmill kicked off about three years ago. The works consisted of the removal of the old milling mechanism, the installation of the wooden structure which supports the two milling stones and extensive work on the internal mechanism and the wooden cone. The restoration project was completed this week when the antennae of the mill were reinstalled back to their original status.

Ta’ Kola Windmill is one of the few surviving windmills on the island dating back to the Knights’ period. The name was adopted from the last miller, Ġużeppi Grech who was popularly known as Żeppu ta’ Kola, who left it to the nation after his death in 1986.

At groundfloor level one can observe the workshop containing a vast array of tools, some of which were originally manufactured by the owners of the mill. The first floor houses the living quarters of the miller including the kitchen, dining room and bedrooms, the second floor accomodates the subsequently milling mechanism which consists of two circular hard-wearing stones placed on top of each other to crush the grain forced between the two rotating surfaces.

Ta’ Kola Windmill opens every day, with the opening times are between 9.00 am and 5.00 pm, last entry at 4.30 pm. More information about Ta’ Kola Windmill and Heritage Malta in general can be obtained from the agency’s website, www.heritagemalta.org, or from the official Facebook page.