Getting married at the Britzer Mühle

The Britzer Mill: a twenty-meter Dutch windmill at Britzer Garten

The mill is located on Buckower Damm at the edge of Britzer Garten in Neukölln; bus line M44 stops directly in front of it at the Dachdeckerweg station. It was built in 1865 by master miller Johann Wilhelm Gottlob Dörfer as a twelve-sided Dutch windmill with English-American technology. It is about twenty meters high, its sails measure twelve meters, and two grinding mechanisms operate inside. Until 1936, it ran on wind, then on diesel; in 1955, it became a protected monument, was reopened for the 1985 Federal Garden Show, and has been grinding again since 1988. It is considered the only one of Berlin’s original capital mills that still produces flour using wind power. It underwent extensive renovation in 2021. It is maintained voluntarily by the Britzer Müllerei association, whose millers also conduct the ceremony.

The ‘Vermehlung’ (Milling Ceremony): what the miller offers after the civil registry office

An important caveat upfront: Since 2017, the Neukölln Civil Registry Office no longer conducts marriages at the mill; civil weddings now take place on Blaschkoallee. What remains is the ‘Vermehlung’ (milling ceremony), a ceremony performed by the Britzer Müllerei association following the civil ceremony. During this ceremony, the couple starts the mill themselves until the sails turn, receives a ‘Vermehlung’ certificate, and finally breaks their first shared mill bread. Silver and golden weddings can also be celebrated this way. Inquiries are made exclusively by email, as the association works voluntarily and has no office. Due to fire safety regulations, a maximum of fifteen people are allowed inside the mill at any one time, and it is not barrier-free. Celebrations then take place in the rebuilt miller’s house in front, which has housed a restaurant with 200 seats and a beer garden for 400 guests since 1987.