Everyday mill life
Hauling heavy sacks in the heat and cold. Breathing in flour dust from morning to night: Here you can gain an insight into the day-to-day operations of the historic Mühle.
Hard and sensual
Lugging heavy sacks in the heat and cold. Breathing in flour dust from morning till night: only robust guys were fit to be millers. But these guys needed all their senses: On his inspection rounds, the miller hears whether the Mühle is singing correctly. He smells when the flour burns somewhere and tastes how good the grain is.
Millers of the Mühle Tiefenbrunnen check grain. 1945. photo: G. Tièche. Zurich City Archives.
Quality standard
The Tiefenbrunnen mill mostly purchased grain directly from local farmers. Only one fifth of foreign grain was allowed - that was about one railroad car per week. The quality of this natural product fluctuated, so the millers carefully checked what was delivered to their silo.
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Factory regulations of the Mühle Tiefenbrunnen, 1920. reproduction.
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Grain reception in the Mühle Tiefenbrunnen, 1950s.
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Grain silo of the Mühle Tiefenbrunnen, around 1960.
Caution Danger!
In such a Mühle is a fire hazard. To lubricate the moving parts, they used the food-grade linseed oil. Plaster threads full of linseed oil ignite easily; flour dust in the air can explode as soon as even a small spark jumps. That's why there had been a sprinkler system since 1926. In addition to warning posters, fire extinguishers hung on the walls, and metal buckets were available for the plaster threads full of oil.
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Warning poster from the Mühle TiefenbrunnenAround 1920.
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Notes on risks and mishaps from the workbook of Heinz Gygax, miller's apprentice at Tiefenbrunnen from 1976 to 1979. Reproduction.
Mueller's pride
A beautifully tied flour sack was the pride of every miller. The sacks were once made of cloth. Cleaning the sacks was a lot of work and the bakers didn't always bring them back.
Since 1950, disposable paper sacks have been used and since 1964, trucks have also been collecting the flour openly from the Tiefenbrunnen mill.
First transport of unpacked flour from the Tiefenbrunnen mill, 1964.
You can find this and other exciting content on the cultural history of milling, food culture and food policy at the museum Mühlerama.