Along the Salzbach stream stretches the historic industrial trades district of the town of Hohenems. Between the Schlossberg and Einfirst mountains a sizeable industrial area developed, based on the use of water power. Since 1549 altogether four flour-mills, eight sawmills, as well as tow-, hemp- and tan-stamps, were driven by the waters of the Salzbach stream. With the exemplary restoration of the Stoffels Saw-Mill the last vestiges of this historic district were preserved. Since 1835, this double-waterwheel plant has been in the possession of the "Stoffels" branch of the Kick-Amann family.
The Stoffels Mill Museum is unique world-wide in its cultural-historical documentation of over 2,000 years of milling technology. 35 milling machines and numerous other exhibits demonstrate the development of mill engineering and technology from 1880 to modern computer-controlled machines. The museum owes its present form to the private initiative of members of the Alois Amann family, who worked tirelessly for many years to create this timeless monument to their ancestors.
