Treasure Chest

The Mill of Levanić

The mill is mentioned and marked in the first imperial survey of 1892. It was built by Pust, a large landowner who owned several mills.

In 1909, the miller Kušen purchased the mill and included it as a dowry for his daughter Marija and her husband Čiril Levanić. After Čiril’s death in 1951, their son Antun took over the milling business and continued the trade with his children. Antun had completed his miller’s exam in his youth and was a qualified miller.

The family owned a horse-drawn carriage, managed by a coachman who collected grain each morning. Every miller had designated areas for grain collection and would return the milled grain to households the following day. Each household used marked cloth bags (žakelj) for their grain. Levanić Mill collected grain from areas such as Selnik, Biljevec, Čalinec, and Greda. In addition to milling grain, the mill also produced pumpkin seed oil during the winter months.

The miller’s payment was taken in the form of a ušur or a portion of the milled grain, ensuring that the milling family always had enough grain to feed their large family. The owners, Čiril and Marija, had a total of eight children. After 1984, the mill ceased operation due to a lack of water, as urbanization redirected the water to the municipal supply for households.

Information and accounts were provided by Vesna Štruklec, daughter of Antun Levanić.