1. Die Steinmühle
Die Steinmühle wurde 1303 als Getreidemühle von den Zisterziensermönchen aus dem Kloster Zinn erbaut und von diesen betrieben. Bis 1766 wurde die Mühle als Getreidemühle genutzt, bis der damalige Mühlenmeister eine Genehmigung zur Anlegung einer Schneidemühle (Sägewerk) erhielt.
1845 wurde sie wieder abgerissen und danach als Ölmühle wiederaufgebaut. Ende 19. Jahrhunderts wurde auf Dampfkraft erweitert und die Mühle zur Strohpapierstoff-Fabrik umgebaut. Sie wurde auch weiter als Dampfmühle genutzt. 1918 firmiert die Mühle als „G. Thiele Steinmühle“. Inhaber war Emil Gericke, der Schwiegersohn von G.Thiele. 1934 wurde die Dampfmaschine durch einen Motor ersetzt und die Mühle vergrößert.
The Air News Air Base
The district administration is located in a renovated barracks building on the outskirts of Köthen. In addition, you can see a large number of ruins that belong to the former air base. The site is freely accessible. I checked it out. The barracks that still exist are under monument protection, but have already been gutted and about to fall into disrepair. Even the tower was only a ruin at the end of 2020, from which you can overlook the huge former runway that was built with solar systems. The large hangar was not accessible. In contrast to many Brandenburg military airfields, there wasn't much to see. Here is something more historical:
On October 1, 1937, the advance detachments moved into Halle / S on October 1, 1935. The newly built air force barracks were set up and to be relocated to Koethen. In Köthen, not only were personnel trained in the individual radio profiles, but intensive work was also carried out here on the development of the necessary technology and new devices from the German radio industry were thoroughly tested. Here the new and further development of radio, radio direction finder and radio measuring systems was dealt with.
Actual acts of war, apart from the occasional missions of some Messerschmitt Bf 109s for air defense, are said not to have originated from the Köthen air base during World War II. On April 14, 1945, the military airfield was attacked by American fighter bombers and taken by advancing units of the 3rd Armored Division.
After the Americans had withdrawn, troops of the Soviet Army occupied the airfield from July 1945. The 73rd Soviet Guard Fighter Regiment with MiG fighter squadrons has been stationed here since 1951. First the MiG-15 and MiG-17, later the MiG-21, and from the 80s the MiG-23 and finally the MiG-29. From 1983, Mi-8 transport helicopters and Mi-24 combat helicopter squadrons were also stationed at Köthen airfield.
During the Cold War, the western outer border of the Warsaw Pact countries was monitored from Köthen and there were regular flights between the Baltic Sea and Hungary. Flight operations ended in May 1991. A small part of the area is still used by an aviation club.
