The tide-mill

It is very possible that already in the century XV or even before, in the surrounding areas of what is nowadays Plentzia's municipality, the marine flow and reflux were used with the purpose of moving wheels of mills.

Witness of this usage we had the mill of Gasteluondo placed in the entry to the town, to approximately 200 meters of the current gangplank. This mill was constructed in the century XVIII and it had the unusual characteristic of having five stones, opposite to the habitual two of other mills.

In spite of the fact that this mill was in relative good state (it stopped working only 50 years ago, being the last miller Félix Echeita Zugasti), the works of landfill for the building of the municipal pelota court or fronton, the reform of the road and the construction of the walk led to the destruction of this historical and cultural patrimony that will never be recovered.

Today only part of the original machinery and of the original functioning are exposed in a small zone enabled by the Town hall.

This kind of mills accumulated water in a deposit during the high-tide. Then, while the level of the sea was going down, they unloaded this water and this water movement was used to move the stone of the mill. In this manner the grain, which was introduced on the most top part, was turned into flour.

What a pity! isn't it?

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