Mills in Altoaragón - harinero, central eléctrica

Sercué

Leave L'Ainsa towards Bielsa and the French border. Turn left in Escalona and follow the road toward the famous Garganta del Añisclo (Vallée de la Niscle for the French) until you reach the parking-space. From there follow the walk Molino de Aso. The path descends into the canyon and about half way down there is a branch. Don't believe the signpost waving you away to the left. That path brings you only to the remains of the water supply channel. Take right and you'll find the front door very soon. Though the molino is very ruinoso, each map of the region shows its position.

Pictures: 30.IV.2002


	Mill deep in the valley of the Río Aso.		Front wall of mill seen from the river bed.

Rudolf Wilmes in his study of this valley in the 1930s dedicates several pages to a description of this site. You'll find a very good picture of the mills in the early 1900s made by Lucien Briet in the second volume (picture 161) of the 1990 compilation of his work (Ref: Briet, Lucien - 1990 - Superbios Pirineos = Superbes Pyrénées - Ed. Diputación Provincial de Huesca - ISBN: 84-86978-59-0).

What's now called the Molino de Aso are the remains of the lowest of both mills of Sercué (and Nérin, because both villages together owned them). The upper mill is gone. Wilmes describes the mill with only one floor and a small open window exactly as we find it on Briet's picture. The second floor, the many windows, the power generator are later additions.


	Mill stones		The electricity generator

Trees are sprouting everywhere inside and it's only because of the many visitors that the interior stays more or less accessible. The room is empty except for the really heavy stuff.

The harinero is situated nearest to the entrance (left on the picture with facade). The power generator lies behind the right window opening. On the wall a line of isolators with some wiring emerges from the ivy.


Gearbox below the mill stones			Detail of generator.

			When you walk back and take the left branch of the path, you will reach the river crossing. That's where it's worth the effort to wander a bit between the rocks to study the old intake point and the remains of an old reservoir.
	remains of reservoir

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