Here is the last windmill in Seine-Saint-Denis... and it's open for visitors!

In Montfermeil, northwest of the capital, the city holds an incredible treasure: the Semplin Mill. Built under Louis XIV, it remains standing today—resisting storms and revolutions, with its stones still original. Reopening is scheduled for early April 2026!

In France, certain regions are particularly well known for their landscapes of large cereal fields and, in places, large windmills. In the past, Île-de-France was France's breadbasket, one of the country's most important grain-growing plains. This can be seen in a number of historic monuments, preserved to bear witness to this agricultural past.

Such is the case in Montfermeil, where the Moulin de Sempin, named after the quarry on which it stands, has been in operation since 1742. Built under Louis XV le Bien-Aimé, with the miller's house next door, it was seized as national property during the Revolution. In 1850, it milled for the last time.

In 1976, the Montfermeil Mill Preservation Society was established. By then, the building had fallen into serious disrepair and was repeatedly on the brink of collapse. The association, led by Gilbert Eschylle and Jean-Pierre Hay (pictured below), launched an extensive restoration project for the mill, with support from the Montfermeil town hall and the Seine-Saint-Denis departmental council. After reconstruction on stable ground—eliminating any risk of collapse—the mill reopened in 1988, surrounded by a charming leafy park, the Jean-Pierre Josseaume Park.

The mill now produces flour fit for consumption, and a miller comes every Thursday, Friday and Saturday to grind the grain, which is then used to make bread by several local bakeries. Ground by two huge millstones, the flour passes through the mill's floors - literally, the grist falls, before being sifted - to arrive directly in sacks on the first floor.

After a behind-the-scenes look at the mill, take a tour of the miller's house, the mill museum featuring a variety of artifacts and old appliances.

The mill is open all week (Monday to Saturday, all year round) to groups (minimum 10 people), and on Sundays (3pm to 6pm) and public holidays (April 1 and November 11 only) to the general public. Each year, the mill closes from November 11th to early April for the winter season. Visits are free for the general public, so if you'd like to support the mill and the volunteer association that runs it, memberships are particularly welcome.