Lustracja młynów wodnych i wiatraków powiatu trockiego z 1777 roku
The Inspection of Watermills and Windmills in the Trakai District in 1777
Author(s): Joanna KunigielisSubject(s): Economic history, Local History / Microhistory
Published by: Towarzystwo Naukowe w Toruniu
Keywords: mill; watermill; windmill; inspection; Grand Duchy of Lithuania; Treasury Commission;
Summary/Abstract: The article examines the 1777 inspection of watermills and windmills in the Trakai district, commissioned by the Treasury Commission of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Previous research on milling has focused primarily on the lands of the Crown, while for the Grand Duchy of Lithuania there is a lack of both synthetic studies and basic source analyses. The aim of the article is to fill this gap by editing and analysing the inspection as a document that sheds light on the functioning of milling infrastructure and the fiscal mechanisms of the late eighteenth century. The methods used include critical source analysis and quantitative research based on data concerning mill locations, number of wheels, tax levels, and hydrological characteristics. The findings make it possible to verify the classification of mills according to the categories of "waters," to reconstruct their distribution within the river network, and to identify the dominant types of power transmission. The inspection reveals the significance of mills as elements of the economic and environmental landscape and provides a point of departure for further research on milling in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
Journal: Zapiski Historyczne
- Issue Year: 91/2026
- Issue No: 1
- Page Range: 135-173
- Page Count: 39
- Language: Polish
