Inter-war Period 

During the inter-war period, there was a parcelisation of the Kozłowieckie Estate, and in 1936 the building was sold by the Zamoyski family to the Supryn family. The new owners had several ideas for the use of the property but social considerations prevailed (the local population needed a mill in the area) and the building continued to fulfill its original function. Before the German occupation, besides using water energy for its own purposes, the mill supplied electricity to nearby homes (the village was not electrified before World War II) and to the Supryn workshop, located in a tenement about 300 meters upstream from the mill along the Ciemięga River. The workshop manufactured various things including spares for elevators.

World War II 

During the war, the mill operated normally, except for the clandestine milling at night to avoid detection by the occupiers. Thanks to this the village always had bread. It was a dangerous pursuit – in Ciecierzyn, as a punishment for similar actions, the miller was deported to a concentration camp, from which he never returned. After the Russians entered in 1944, the mill continued to operate, but the owners, overwhelmed by requisitions, barely survived.

The Communist Era (Polish People’s Republic or PRL) 

In the 1950s, the mill and its surrounding area were unlawfully seized from the owners and nationalized. During the communist period, it was under the management of an agricultural cooperative. Years of struggle to reclaim it proved fruitless.

The 1990s 

In 1990, with the support of the local community and the adoption of a resolution at a meeting of the Solidarity trade union, several dozen people gathered in front of the building in protest. As a consequence, the keys were handed over and returned to the rightful owners. This event was described in an article in the Gazeta Lubelska newspaper on May 9^th  1990, under the title “The Last Action of the Armed Underground.” While the mill was successfully reclaimed and operating, the legal battle continued for several more years. The case was repeatedly reviewed by the Supreme Administrative Court. Only through the determination of the Supryn family – Stanisław and his brother Tadeusz, and later Maria Supryn – was the property finally restored to its rightful owners by the court’s judgment in 2002.

People and Their Stories

The mill is associated with many stories. During the occupation, the Germans organised a Christmas Eve celebration here, while the Russians fired at the building. You can still see the bullet marks on the facade and doors. No less interesting are the fates and stories of those associated with it – owners, millers, and local residents, people who visited Dys. After several years of searching for documentation, all myths have been confirmed and have become facts. Mill projects, documents relating to people associated with it, along with milling logs that describe daily activities in the building, are in the possession of the current owners, will be studied and interpreted to make them available to the public.

Present Times

The mill underwent renovation from 2016 to 2022, during which all the original milling technology remained in situ. In addition to the main machinery, milling equipment, tools, and numerous artefacts have also been preserved.

Now the building has new life. It houses the Dyssov craft distillery, where we have begun the production of traditional spirits with a modern twist. The name comes from the Dyss family – the founders of the village. Grains and fruits sourced from local farmers and orchard owners give the spirits their flavours and aromas, while craft beers, after distillation in copper stills, become beer brandies. The next step is to work on barrel-aged spirits, creating gin based on juniper berries sourced from the Kozłowieckie Forests.