A MILL OF LOVE

The story about the love of a miller's daughter to the Mountain Ghost prompted local people to build a commemorative 'Mill of Love'. According to the folk legend: 'only here the mill turned seed into flour and spinned people's fates and the miller's daughter made equal to a princess.' The Mill has the wonderful power which cause that love is reciprocated. 

The place has been renovated according to the concept of the resident of Karpacz Mr. Janusz Motylski and today its new look can be admired at Karkonoska 53 Street in Upper Karpacz (Karpacz Górny).

LEGEND:

Many centuries ago, high in the mountains called the Giant Mountains, a customs officer led a peaceful life with his son in the Lord's House safeguarding the borders.

Since time immemorial, his grandfathers run a customs house by order of the Czech prince. The house situated in the valley of Pląsawa River, was not impressive and very profitable but proudly held their heads up being known for honesty and rightly fulfilled their duties and they were without equal at knight skills.

For a great amount of time father was worried about his son's future as according to the duke's order they were supposed to serve the guard at the border till autumn. After that, they were required to take their things and leave the patrimony. This part of mountains would be guarded by the subjects of Silesian duke under the recently signed pact. 

 After many sleepless nights and days spent on thinking, father called his son at midnight and told him to go to Chojnasty Castle, today known as Chojnik Castle, and fulfill the task given by princess Kunegunda. In this way he would win the princess's hand, wealth and he wouldn't have chase smugglers in rain, snow and mud. 

As he was obedient to father's will the young man set out on a journey. When he came down the mountain, he saw a splendid mill in Karpacz. It was getting dark and started raining then he asked for a place to sleep.  

A miller shows him a place in the chamber and miller's daugher started preparing supper. It was a beautiful girl, in the prime of her life, nice and cheerful as a spring sky. The girl immediately caught man's interest and she was also glancing at him with curiosity avoiding father's sight.

 During the meal, word by word, the knight revealed the purpose of his journey. No one noticed when the look of worry appeared on the beautiful face of miller's daughter. People in the area heard the stories about daredevils who died trying to ride along the walls of castle on horseback and with full armor.

Everyone fell asleep only girl was bustling around the chamber for a long time and was preparing something in the light of candle till late hours. 

In the morning the knight was ready to continue his mission, he jumped on the horse when miller's daughter ran to him and put something into his hand whispering some word for a long time. When her father saw that he got angry and warned them. The man was confused by that and kissed the girl in the cheek, lashed horses and moved on.

The millstones were grinding grain and turning it into the best flour in the neighbourhood. Each day before sunrise the miller's daughter was going on the meadow behind the mill to look at the castle, visible from a distance, she was waiting for a sign or a clue. Waiting for her sweetheart's message was the worst torture. 

On the seventh day during the supper, when miller said the prayer and divided bread the silence was broken by a loud tap at the mill's door. The feasters saw the familiar silhouette of the knight.

He was invited inside. All believed that he retreated from the wall of Chojnik and was looking for a place to rest before coming home in dishonor.

 Chewing slowly the bites of delicious bread, which was baked from the finest flour, the knight told the whole story. 

He told how princess Kunegunda welcomed him mocking him and doubting in his courage and how it was difficult an dangerous to ride on horseback in full armor along the walls of the castle because a devious lady ordered to loosen some stone in such a way that a daredevil's horse was stumbling there, losing balance and throwing the rider down into the precipice of the Hell Valley.

As the young man admitted, he owed his life to an amazing gift from miller's daughter. It was an unusual liniment made of grease from a pivot of a mill, the local flour and other ingredients known only to miller's daughter.  All of these things mixed together formed a magic grease. Horse's hooves covered with it sticked to stone walls with huge strength. 

Finishing his story the knight fell onto his knees and asked the miller for his daughter's hand because thanks to her selfless help he could come alive from this journey. The daughter had to ask her father for accepting the proposal. Father agreed under one condition, that the fiance had to give up knighthood, learn milling and take care of his mill.   

As a sign of great joy the men embedded his sword in a stone and started with his beloved girl a peaceful life as a miller. They had a lot of children and the grain craft was passed on from generation to generation. 

Local people to commemorate this event called this place 'the Mill of Love' because the millstone not only turned grain into a flour but also changed people's fate.