Mills are amazing constructions. Their designs are diverse, original and ingenious in their simplicity. Unfortunately, most often, the descriptions of the most interesting thing (the wooden mechanisms of the 18th — 19th centuries) disappear in dusty archives in the form of historical scientific articles. Here, we want to change things a little and show that absolutely every detail of the windmill has some function and meets very specific needs. We want people to notice that the nearby mills may solve tasks differently, which in turn explains the variety of mechanisms and architectural designs.

For the windmill sails to move, you need wind, particularly the wind from the side of the sails. However, you might be waiting for the «right» wind for weeks. Therefore, the sails of the mill must turn towards the wind, i.e. they must «catch» it. The mills where the whole barn can rotate are called post-based windmills, whereas those with the rotating upper part only, like an observatory, are called smock windmills or smocks.