Orchard @museum.de

Cherries, plums, pears, quinces, apples and sweet chestnuts – all these trees have been growing in our orchard since 2019. They were all donated by tree sponsors.

Thanks are due to the Kleve district’s landscape conservation association "LiKK e.V." for the existence of the orchard. The association is dedicated to preserving existing orchards and planting new ones. We thought that was an excellent idea, and together, we transformed the field in front of the mill into an orchard.

Ever since, the grass in the orchard has been kept short by sheep, in a slight variation on the usual motto "The apple doesn't fall far from the – sheep". The flock is herded here every few weeks to graze its fill on the lush pasture.

Please feel free to spend some time in our seating area. Think of the Apple Girl on her millstone as your personal host. The bronze sculpture is a work by the sculptor Dieter von Levetzow from Kranenburg. Or perhaps you’d prefer to wander across to the high table and find out more about the various fruit trees growing here.

Sadly, that brings us to the end of your tour. We hope you’ve found it interesting. If you’re staying nearby, or live in the area, perhaps you’d like to sample our fresh bread on Saturdays? There’s an option to pre-order it on our website. You might even like to become a supporting member of Donsbrüggen Old Mill. Because as you probably know, restoration work is never done. A building as old as this one requires constant maintenance and renovation. We’re always delighted to welcome a new member, whether active or passive. Everyone can make a contribution according to their abilities.

Perhaps you’d like to pay us a visit on Germany’s next National Mills Day. It’s always held on Whit Monday – the day after Pentecost – and it would be a unique opportunity to try our yeast-raised pastries with sultanas, almonds and sugar sprinkles. They’re known locally as Mühlen-Möppkes.

Möppkes being the Low German word for biscuits or cookies.

But now it’s time for us to say goodbye – with the miller’s traditional "Glück zu"!

Glück zu!