The watermill

The first time we can read about Vibæk Mill is in 1515, when a complaint is made about a lack of water in Vibæk. In 1631, we get the name: “Mads Møller in Vibøge” and in 1649, Vibæk Mill is mentioned on Mejers' map.

In 1715, we get a little more information about why it was difficult to operate a watermill on Vibækken; from the Annunciation of Mary on March 25th to Michaelmas on September 29th, the meadows around the mill were to be accessible for the farmers' grazing cattle and for hay. This de facto meant that the miller was not allowed to use a weir to flood the meadows, and therefore he could not get enough water to keep the mill running for half the year.

The watermill was established in its current location in 1756. Prior to this, the watermill had been situated further upstream of Vibækken stream, at what is now called Ensomheden, but due to limited flow in the stream, the mill was moved. The fact that it was a genuine relocation is demonstrated by the reuse of the two-hundred-year-old materials, which can be seen, among other things, in the beams inside the watermill.

As Vibæk Mill looks today, it is one of the most exciting in the country and a beautiful example of what an overshot watermill looked like in the latter half of the 1700s. When the mill was located further up Vibækken, it most likely had an undershot waterwheel. The same technology is seen on a paddle steamer, and it is suitable for a water flow with limited force. The mill was probably rebuilt with the more efficient overshot waterwheel when it was relocated. This happened due to the natural gradient that occurs in the course of Vibækken here, and because a chute (sluice) now led the water over the mill wheel's axle. In this way, the water gained extra force in its fall from the millpond, through the narrow channel, out into the chute, and from there down onto the overshot wheel.

The Watermill House has five bays, and like the outbuildings, is constructed of whitewashed timber framing with red posts. The building's birth certificate is etched into a beam in the dormer above the main entrance where you can clearly see the date: 14th July 1756. On another beam in the mill loft, there is a longer inscription which tells more about the mill's history of creation. The master builder was Hans Møller of Peberbjerg, who built the mill for Jørgen Krack and Kirstine Mari Jørgens in 1756. The inscription is partly in runes, partly etched with Latin letters and reads precisely: ”Hans Myller af Peberberg har bygt den myl for Jørgen Krack Kiestina Mari Jørgens AO 1756”. Furthermore, etched there are CLM and AMC 1788, which must refer to the mill tenant Christian Lorenzen Møller and his wife. He was the first to pay fire insurance for Vibæk Watermill that year.

In 1834, the water supply to the mill was once again insufficient, and despite there being a millpond, the mill could only operate during the winter months. Furthermore, the local farmers were not obliged to use Vibæk Mill and often chose the nearby Lebøl and Skovby Mills instead. Miller Jørgen Jacobsen appealed to the Royal Chamber of Accounts and applied for a permit to build a Dutch windmill to supplement the watermill. He was granted this permit.