Windmill in the village Pustovity: Ukrainian “Dutchman”

This handsome man is over 120 years old! The hill for it was filled and rammed by the whole village, the foundation of the building is a huge pillar buried in the ground, and the mill was built by an ordinary worker.

Not quite ordinary. After all, it is very difficult to build such a structure. It was done by Ivan Drygy, a resident of Kyiv region, in 1902, who brought drawings for the mill from Holland itself. Locals say that Ivan was there to earn money, but this is not certain. The main interest of the “Dryga mill” was that it turned its blades independently in the direction of the wind. This is a unique Dutch technology. Later, our hero built two more mills and became a respectable businessman, almost a local flour magnate.

Unfortunately, the subsequent fate of the Dryga family and the mills themselves was dramatic. After Ivan’s death, already under the “Soviets”, his son was dispossessed and sent into exile. Two smaller mills were barbarically destroyed, but the first and largest one was preserved. The inhabitants of Pustovit came to his defense almost in full force. After that, it stood abandoned for a long time, but nowadays the local agricultural holding has reconstructed the historical monument. Now this beautiful mill is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Kyiv region. We advise you to visit! And if you have already done this, then compare the original with our thumbnail.

We carefully recreated every detail of the old mill. Every little window, every plank — everything is like in real life. And, of course, the operating mechanism allows the mill “wings” to rotate. A great sight!

Did you know that mills have their own “natural enemy”? Scroll on and find out who it is!