A reminder of the sugar adventure on the island of Mauritius

Grande Rosalie sugarmill near Villebague in northern Mauritius, is one out of many remaining sugarmills. The many ruins of mills and chimneys stil stading, is a remindere of the sugar adventure the island has experienced. This mill was established in 1743 and closed down in the 1920s, just as most mills. When Mauritius was at it hight, producing sugar, there were around 250 mills on the island. Today there are three mills. There are still many ruined mills around the island. Mostly it is only the chimney that is still here. On previous visits I have visited a couple of other mills. They all vary in size and design.

This one is close to where I live, so I have passed it many times. But this time we made a stop. A lady in a car stops to feed the stray dog you see on the photo above. She came up to us to tell us that the state owns the property. Therefore it is not allowed to cross the fence. She also told us a bit about these old mills which are part of the island's Cultural Heritage. She has a doctorate and wrote, among other things, task about these old mills. She also believed that the place might be haunted. What she found out when she wrote her thesis was that a human being was sacrificed when building the chimney. This is where the body was laid. The reason why this was done may be based on a belief that it would bring prosperity.

During a period of 300 years, the sugar producing industry became the major income on the island. It all started with the Dutch who brought the sugar cane to the island in 1639. But is was during the French colonial period (1715 -1810) that the industry developed. From the 1880s the price on sugar decreased. One by one the mills closed down. As you drive across the island, you wil still see lots of sugarcane fields. Sugar and rum are still produced and you can find the products in every souvenir shop on the island When I was here two years ago, I went to a museum that tells the story of sugar and the history of Mauritius. I did a guided tour where we learned that the waste from the sugarcane is used for producing energy. Seems nothing is wasted.

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