The largest mill complex in southern Europe can be found in Rudăria village at the foot of Almajului mountains in Banat, Caraș-Severin county. The complex is sheltering over 22 mills, spread alongside the Rudăria river on about 3 kilometers long, which have been crushing down the grains for centuries in an ancestral ritual that locals preserve like a real treasure.
Almajului Valley is surrounded by picturesque mountains: up to the north and northwest there are Aninei and Semenic Mountains, while in the south the valley is embraced by Almajului Mountains and in the south west by Locvei Mountains. The eastern part of the valley opens out to the Timiș-Cerna corridor.
The landscape is breathtaking: chestnuts, hornbeams, beeches and acacias are blurring the low side of the river, while bushes are climbing on the grey rocks and wild flowers are embalming the fresh air.
On the road between Anina town and DN 6, the visitor can find Rudăria Mill Complex, recently restored and now patronized by “Astra” Museum in Sibiu.
Rudăria village is now named Eftimie Murgu, taking its name after the one of professor and revolutionist Eftimie Murgu, who was born on these lands.
Rudăria derives from a Slavic word (ruda which means mineral and reka which means river).
Despite the village was first attested in 1241 and the first eight mills were officially reported in 1722, the mills were set up in this area around the 2nd and 3rd centuries.
In 1874, there were 54 functional mills, but the successive floods cut their number to half.
Locals not only use the mills to grind their grains but also as a meeting place where they can chat or share important moments of their lives. The names of the mills are taken after their great grandparents, but also derive from their creative imagination: The Mill from the Tunnel, Trăiloanea Mill, Firiz Mill, Roşoanea, Popeasca, Maxinoanea, Hămbăroanea mills or the Screech between the Rivers Mill.
A mill in the complex, which is usually grinding some 130-140 kilos of grains every 24 hours, is managed by 15 t0 25 families of the village. They agree to share their turn, meaning they are allowed to use the mill in turn for 12 to 24 hours. Locals take pride in these mills, claiming the flour milled here has a special taste, as the wheels moved by the water is grinding the grains slowly, unlike the electric mills that have higher speed.
The village also shelters a small mill museum, where visitors can study a mill piece by piece to understand its mechanism.