Ta’ Kola Windmill in Xaghra, Gozo, reopened its doors to the public over the weekend following a temporary closure due to an accident [1] caused by inclement weather.
Heritage Malta explained that during a routine inspection following the storm, the windmill’s vanes collapsed onto the mill’s roof, due to the damage they had sustained by the elements and bad weather.
The collapse of the vanes caused damage to the ceilings and led to the hospitalisation of three Heritage Malta employees doing the inspection.
The three workers involved are on the way to recovery, with one of them already back at work, Heritage Malta said.
During the past week, repair works were carried out [2] on the building’s roof and structure so that the windmill can welcome visitors once more.
Heritage Malta said that work has also commenced to repair the vanes – a task expected to be completed in the coming months due to the extensive damage suffered.
Ta’ Kola Windmill is one of the few surviving windmills on the Maltese Islands dating back to the Knights’ period. With a 300-year history, the mill is a living testimony of our forefathers’ arduous lifestyle, which involved taking grain to the miller to obtain flour for the daily production of bread.
Photo: Heritage Malta