This water mill, built in 1780 as an iron hammer on the River Schwärze just outside Eberswalde, is now located in the Schwärzetal recreation area near the zoo and the Forstbotanischer Garten (“Forest Botanical Garden”). It acts as a home for the art association “Die Mühle e.V.”, as a gallery, a workshop and an event room for association members and local art enthusiasts. Products: From May to October every year: “Summer in the mill” with exhibitions and events History of the mill – metal, bone and grain were the staples in the evolution of the Zainhammer Mühle until the 20th century. In 1779 the mill began producing Zaine, long, thin metal rods for the cutlery factory, which gave the mill its name, Zainhammer Mühle. Around 1824 the small cutler disappeared from the town and the Zaine became redundant, so the mill was re-purposed as a bone mill, and bones began to come to Eberswalde from Poland, Denmark and Sweden via the Finowkanal, though this isn’t well-documented. The mill processed the animal bones into flour, which was then used as an organic fertiliser in agriculture. Not only did this bone business stink, it was also dangerous. The mill was completely destroyed by a fire in October 1866. After being rebuilt, the mill was used for grain until the mid-20th century.
