A coal mine in Provence?

There are three of these in St Remy de Provence, quite close to each other. Information on what they were is difficult to find but apparently they were built in the late 19th century to add power to an adjoining flour mill. The owners (called Mistral) of the mill replaced their paddle wheels for water power with turbines. Cables connected the wheels at the top of the towers so the energy from the turbines could power more machines. Ingenious.

However this area is not good for growing wheat; close to the Camargue the soil was too salty. The whole enterprise failed, the owners went bankrupt leaving these as monuments. They are quite incongruous in what is now a tourist town especially on market day.

Angelina Jolie is said to shop here. I told her to meet me in the Place de Republic but you can't trust film stars.