The devil from the Mühlenberg: The dark legend of the GDR classics!

The devil from the Mühlenberg: The dark legend of the GDR classics!

On July 4, 2025, we remember a very special treasure trove of film history: "The devil of the Mühlenberg", a fairytale film by DEFA, which celebrated its premiere in 1955. With over four million viewers, he was an absolute highlight in the GDR cinemas, and even today this film still cuts a good figure in public law programs.

In this fairy tale film we experience the dramatic story of a greedy mill owner who does everything possible to get the farmers to let their grain grind in his mountain mill. In order to achieve his goal, he disguises himself as a devil, steals Mehl from the nearby forest mill and finally lights it. The farmers who preferred the cheaper forest mill can be found in a tricky location: they now have to work in the Bergmühle, which is associated with an increase in prices for flour. The protagonist Anne particularly stands out, who is wonderfully changing from her role of the maid to a heroine after discovering the machinations of the Bergmüller.

action and characters

"The devil from the Mühlenberg" is based on a legend from the romantic resin and not in a fairy tale by Wilhelm Hauff, as is often assumed. Jörg and Anne, the two main characters, bravely fight against the Bergmüller's crashes. While the situation is getting worse, you will find yourself on an emotional wrong path. Jörg, the son of the Waldmüller, desperately searches for a way to secure his livelihood, while Anne initially gets into the catch of the Bergmüller, but finally comes to inspect with the help of forest spirits.

The oppressive action reaches its peak when Jörg and Anne rebuild the Waldmühle and gather the farmers. Symbolically for the greed of the Bergmüller, he is hit at the end of a flash and transformed by the spirits into stone - a warning message for everyone who put their own advantage over the well -being of the community.

The way to the film

The film was partially shot in the magical Harz and in the well -known studio Babelsberg, with the premiere on April 7, 1955 in the Babylon cinema in Berlin. The main roles take over Eva Kotthaus as the brave Anne and Hans-Peter Minetti as the Jörg looking for his love. Kotthaus, which was born in Düsseldorf in 1932 and died in 2020, impressively shows the change of her figure, while Minetti, an experienced actor who worked in around 60 Defa productions, died in 2006

As the film itself, the legacy of "The Teufel vom Mühlenberg" remains in the memory of the cultural landscape. You can see that this film not only offers entertainment, but also transports educational messages about solidarity and the dangers of greed.

So the next time you have the chance to see this film, you can enjoy not only the story, but also the nostalgic flair of a past time. As the numerous spectators know, "The devil from the Mühlenberg" simply makes a good mood and stimulates thought - regardless of when and where you look at it.