The typical Thuringian woad mill in the Rohrborn district of Sömmerda has been in working order again since 2009.

A roughly hewn tumbler stone is moved around an axis on a circular path using horse power (similar to a horse-drawn cart). On this track, the threshing floor, the 1.8 ton stone grinds and crushes woad leaves. The woad pulp was formed into balls and dried. The woad balls were processed into dye powder in the woad towns. In the dye works, indigo blue was made from this to dye textiles.