Montefiore Windmill - Jerusalem, Israel
Posted by: ashberry
N 31° 46.288 E 035° 13.450
36R E 710627 N 3517258
The Montefiore Windmill is a landmark windmill in Jerusalem. Designed as a flour mill, it was built in 1857 on a slope opposite the western city walls of Jerusalem
Waymark Code: WM14GRG
Location: Israel
Date Posted: 07/06/2021
Views: 3
One of the first Jerusalem landmarks to crop up outside the Old City walls, the Montefiore Windmill was named for its funder, British Jewish philanthropist Moses (or Moshe in Hebrew) Montefiore. It was built in 1857 at the site where the Mishkenot Sha’ananim neighborhood would be established some 12 years later.
It was originally designed as a flour mill, and was part of Montefiore’s project to help the Old Yishuv (the pre-20th-century Jewish community of Palestine) become more self-sufficient. Montefiore, who was devoted to promoting industry in the Holy Land, also built a printing press and a textile factory and undertook many more projects.
The windmill was phased out of use as a flour mill in 1891, after the Jewish community began using steam-powered mills to grind their wheat. However, it continued to bear a cultural significance and during the 1948 War of Independence was used by Jewish fighters as an observation point. British authorities responded by bombing the windmill, an assault aptly titled “Operation Don Quixote.”
Today, the windmill houses the Jerusalem Vineyard Wineries Visitor Center, and blends right in with its quaint, picturesque surrounding in the upscale Yemin Moshe neighborhood (which is also named after the philanthropist). The windmill is an essential stop for anyone wishing to learn more about the transition from old to new Jerusalem in the late 19th century and the ambitious endeavors of Moshe Montefiore, one of the true icons of the old Jewish community in the Land of Israel.
Open: Sun-Thur: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Fri: 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
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