Mills in the Gottleuba Valley and the Pirna fulling mill

Numerous water mills have existed along the Gottleuba, which flows from the ridge of the Eastern Ore Mountains to the Elbe, since the Middle Ages. They were mainly used to process grain, vegetable oils and wood. There were also hammer mills and ironworks in the vicinity of the mining town of Berggießhübel. From the 19th century onwards, the river's water power was also utilised by paper mills and stone sawmills (sandstone processing). In total, there were over 40 mills, hammer mills and paper mills on the Gottleuba between the Bohemian Schönwald (Krásný Les) and Pirna. Some sites only existed for a few years, while others lasted for centuries. In the course of industrial development, most of the sites were abandoned. Some mills were also destroyed by the floods of the Gottleuba, so that their traces have been completely lost. The most impressive testimony to the mill tradition in the Gottleuba valley is the Bährmühle Bad Gottleuba. The historic technology of the grinding and sawing mill has been preserved at the site, which has existed since at least 1486, and can be visited on guided tours.

The Pirna fulling mill was located directly south of the rest and information point until 2008. It was mentioned in 1423 as ‘Obirmole’ and was one of the oldest mills in the town. The mill belonged to the Pirna cloth makers. It was used to felt woollen fabrics into a coherent body, creating a smooth and slightly water-repellent surface, which is now known as loden. In addition to fabric processing, there was also a grinding mill here. The impoverished cloth makers parted with the property in 1775. The mill then underwent several changes of ownership. In 1887, the town of Pirna acquired the property as accommodation for some of the soldiers of the 2nd Field Artillery Regiment No. 28. The regiment was housed in various quarters in the town area under sometimes catastrophic conditions with over 900 soldiers and over 500 service horses. The purchase of the fulling mill enabled the town of Pirna to build the first closed barracks complex (‘grey barracks’) on the fields belonging to the mill by 1889. The fulling mill was still used as a textile and later furniture factory until the end of the
1930s. It was then converted into a residential building. After a fire, the buildings were demolished in 2008. A new children's day care centre was built on the demolition site in 2011.

The water power of the Gottleuba was utilised at least at the following locations in what is now the town of Pirna:

Brettschneidemühle Neundorf (Alt-Neundorf 58, 1785 - 1957), destroyed in the flood of 1957, today used for commercial purposes
Neundorfer Mühle (Alt-Neundorf 23, 1575 - around 1927), demolished in 2007 and replaced by a residential building
Stegmühle (südlich Alt-Rottwerndorf 62 b, 1622 - 1897), destroyed in the flood of 1897
Schlossmühle Rottwerndorf (Alt-Rottwerndorf 28, 1721 - 1957), mill operation abandoned after the flood of 1957, building demolished after falling into disrepair in 2013
Kleine Mühle I Rottwerndorf (Alt-Rottwerndorf 4, since min. 1721), originally a grinding mill, stone saw since 1898, today the premises of Sächsische Sandsteinwerke GmbH, mill building demolished in 2002
Kleine Mühle II Rottwerndorf (Alt-Rottwerndorf 2, 1721 - 1936), originally the cutting mill of Kleine Mühle I, damaged in the 1927 flood, demolished around 1935 and replaced by a residential building
Walkmühle Pirna (Walkmühlenweg 5, 1423 - around 1935), building demolished in 2008 and replaced by a kindergarten
Kohlmühle Pirna (Mühlenstraße 3, 1412 - 1985), building vacant since 1990, ongoing renovation work for residential use
Stadtschreibermühle Pirna (Clara-Zetkin-Straße 10, 1392 - around 1900), after grinding operations ceased, used as an ice factory and later as a residential building, among other things used as an ice factory and later as a residential building
Brettmühle Pirna (Maxim-Gorki-Straße 4, 1442 - 1897), mill building largely demolished for the construction of the new Friedrich Hengst furniture and window factory in 1897/98, factory converted to residential use in 2020
Niedermühle Pirna (Bahnhofstraße 14 a, 1452 - around 1870), mill operation ceased around 1870, area built over by the construction of the new railway station in 1874/75, today part of the central bus station (ZOB)