2016 © Andreas Mirwald

The recorded history of the Schamper Mühle dates back to the year 1342. It’s name refers to a village called Schampe that was located here. The Dobbertin Monastery acquired the site und built a watermill on the “Gotthun Field” in 1416. In the middle of the 19th century there stood two mills here; one water and the other wind powered. The watermill was shut down in 1810 and the the mill pond drained. This was because the water level of the Müritz was raised due to the construction of additional mills on the River Elde, a river that flows into the Müritz. The mill pool lost it’s gradient and the watermill a part of it’s power. The building that stands today dates from 1840 and was used as a working mill until 1964. The characteristic windmill blades were removed at this time for safety reasons.

Listed monument status; conversion and restoration.

Following the closure of the mill in 1964 and many years of decay, the Schamper Mühle was acquired privately in 2003, restored und converted into two holiday flats. These flats however remained unused for many years and began once again to decay. The architect Robin Foster bought the mill in the spring of 2020. He has restored both the holiday flats and the surrounding garden, taking into account its historic heritage. It was important for him to retain and emphasize the distinctive mill architecture. Certain important components of the building, such as the timber beams, were retained and expressed. Other elements, such as the old mill wheels, were reused as tables for the two terraces.

During the conversion of the almost two hundred year old building, it was important for Robin that the design und use of materials should harmonise with the original building construction. For this reason, he chose a classic style (the choice of light switches and door handles are examples), in combination with warm and natural materials such as wood and ceramic. He has also cleared and restored the overgrown terraces and the garden as part of the restoration work. Newly planted oak trees form an avenue to lead guests from the road to the Mill.

The two holiday apartments “Kamut” and “Einkorn” and the garden were restored and converted between October 2020 and April 2021. You can learn more about the building work in our Blog.