Out of the 12 that the island had at the end of the 15th century, today 8 are preserved. Here the people of Astipalaion brought for grinding, the crops of the few grains that thrived in their place while they received wheat even from distant Russia, the granary of Europe! All eight belong to the type of "revolving" mill, the roof of which rotated with the wind depending on the direction of the winds. Most have been recently repaired/maintained and are being reused. One acts as a tourist office, giving maps and information, another hosts painting or photography exhibitions and cultural events. A third has been turned into a branch of the island's Narkissei Municipal Library. It focuses on foreign translations of Greek authors and poets and operates voluntarily. The most impressive is the one that functions as a small archaeological museum and has replicas of the finds and rare inscriptions discovered by the archaeological dig in Vathi.
