Kyparissia - Old Watermill
Katsaprokos’ or Mavrogenis’ Old Watermill is just 2 km from Kyparissia. The watermill was recently restored, while the old mechanism has been maintained and operates by grinding wheat daily. In 2012, it was declared a protected monument of the pre-industrial period by the Central Council of Modern Monuments and a private initiative project (Nikos Imirziadis’ family). It has been restored with love and absolute respect to its history and traditional architecture. Specifically, all the conventional techniques of the building have been observed, while all the old walls have been saved. In fact, even the water tower/hanging was saved, while the roof was replaced entirely with old tiles on the outside. The trough of the mill was cleaned and repaired, while all the wooden parts (of the though, the covers, the storage areas, etc.), being damaged by the passage of time, were rebuilt by a local carpenter.
This is the only surviving mill from a series of ten mills that operated with the same water that came from a higher altitude, from Vrises. The Old Watermill was built and started operating before 1850 and until 1974. The last miller was Giannis Mavrogenis, who bought the mill in 1942 from Brachakos. In the past, the watermill also operated as a shop and tavern. During the German Occupation (1941-1944), it became the hangout of the resistance, while after the liberation it was transformed into the headquarters of the EAM guerrillas.
The watermill today operates as a small museum where, in its three spaces, the visitor can see its equipment and tools, as well as various old objects, documents, souvenirs etc. There is also a traditional cafe in the Old Watermill and shop with local products, such as sweets, drinks, herbs, natural cosmetics, etc. Finally, organised and educational visits from schools where students (in addition to the tour) attend audiovisual material on bread production, from ploughing the field to baking bread, are made daily.