Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: meule à grains

Windmill De Prins van Oranje (The Prince of Orange) is named after prins Willem van Oranje - Father of the Nation - who married Anna van Buren. The Counts of Buren were the owners of this mill from 1716 to 1795. The current tower mill had at least two predecessora on the city walls of Buren; the first of which was destroyed by fire in 1575. A new mill was built in 1577, which was replaced by the current stone mill in 1716 due to its dilapidatedness. In 1911 these mill also burned down ans was rebuilt and heightened. In 1974, the five-storey tower mill was fully restored, with new internal machinery. It has a stage, which is almost nine meters above ground level. De Prins van Oranje is still working as a flour mill and is listed as a Dutch national heritage site.

Windmill ‘Rijn en Lek’ is dating back to 1659, when it was built on top of the - only remaining - medieval city gate of the town, the Leuterpoort. In the beginning it was used as a bark mill, but around 1820 it became a flourmill, which it still is. The mill stands proudly above the gate on the dike and is the only mill in the Netherlands on top of a city gate. The ‘Rijn en Lek’ is often confused with the windmill painted by Ruisdael, called ‘The windmill at Wijk bij Duurstede’, which stood a few blocks away. The mill got its name ‘Rijn en Lek’ due to the fact that the river Rhine changes it name into Lek River downstream from Wijk bij Duurstede.

The windmill has a history going back to 1369, when there already was a mill in the hamlet Karrichoven (nowadays Kerkhoven, a neighbourhood of Oisterwijk). The current mill was built in 1895 after the wooden post mill was completely destroyed by fire. But in 1910 another fire destroyed the interior of the mill, but was repaired with parts of a polder mill in Rhoon (near Rotterdam). The Kerkhovense Molen was used for grinding grain and tree bark (used by the local tanneries in Oisterwijk) until after the World War II. After that it was used as a café and youthhostel. Between 1976 and 1979 the mill was completed renovated and after thirty years it could grind again on wind power. In the meantime the mill is owned by a foundation ( Stichting De Kerkhovense Molen ), which renovated the mill again. In 1999 it was officially reopened and the mill is still used for grinding grain. The mill got also its original name Onvermoeid (Untiring), but the name Kerkhovense Molen is much more common. On the ground floor the mill has a cute tea/coffee room and a shop, selling flour and other local products.

D’Orangemolen (d'Orange Mill) is a round brick smock mill. The flour mill was built in 1734 by order of the Nassause Domeinraad for 8.000 florins. The mill was owned by the Princes of Orange. Prins Maurits leased the mill to the miller who offered the most. It was called the ‘compulsive mill’ because all local farmers were obliged to use d'Orangemolen for grinding their grain. The mill was restored in 1999 and the wings were also reinstalled. In 2004 the mill was in operation again after 40 or 50 years. Nowadays the mill is privately owned and used as a home Willem van Oranje (William of Orange) gave his name to the town of Willemstad. Yet the town does not owe its existence to him but to the marquis of Bergen op Zoom, Jan IV of Glymes. He ordered that some salt marshes should be drained and surrounded by dykes. That’s were the village of Ruygenhil came into being in 1565. In 1582 the Province of Brabant gave the village to prins Willem van Oranje in compensation for what he had spent and lost in the “cause of freedom”. After his dead in 1584 his son Prince Maurits named the town Willemstad (William’s Town), as we call it in Dutch.

Windmill De Maagd (the Virgin) is a smock mill, which was built in 1894. The flour mill is located on the outskirts of the Dutch village and surrounded by wheat fields. After a first restoration in 1960 it fell back into disrepair. After a second restoration - 1988 - the mill is in working order again. De Maagd has two flocks of millstones that are used to grind grain on a professional basis. One pair is driven by wind and the other has an alectric engine. The mill is quite unique as it used on a daily base. The flour of the mill is delivered to bakers and (pancake) restaurants, but also to other mill shops, hotels and hospitals.

Although the mill is called Torenmolen van Gronsveld it is actually located in suburb of Maastricht. The city was during the construction of the windmill not as big as it is now and all local farmers were only allowed by the local governement to use this windmill. The Tower Mill of Gronsveld was built between 1618 and 1623 - in the elevationon which the mill is built a stone can be found with the inscription “1622”. The construction took place on behalf of Count Joest Maximilliaan van Gronsveld. De Molen van Gronsveld is the most southerly windmill in the Netherlands and the oldest in the province of Limburg. It is one of the few brick windmills in the Netherlands. Probably in 1766 the windmill was made a bit taller. This can be seen at the top end of the windmill. These kind of windmills usually go straight up, but its the top turns slightly inwards at the top (PiP). Between 1924 and 1930 the windmill was taken out of use. In 1941 it was restored. During the fighting on 13 September 1944 with the liberation of Maastricht the windmill and one of the houses next to it were shot at and caught fire. The flour mill has been restored again in 1959. In the beginning of the ‘70’s the windmill has been made in working order and is now regularly in use, grinding grain for farmers and bakers. Torenmolen van Gronsveld can be visted for free, although the opening hours are limited.

De Zaandplatte is a windmill in a hamlet called Engeland , just outside the village of Ruinen and nearby National Park Dwingelderveld . Its name is derived from its current location, a former piece of ferocious land with the name De Zaandplatte . It is a thatched, octagonal wooden ‘belt mill’ ( belt is a man made elevation) dating from 1964. Although originally the mill - dating back to the end of the 18th century - stood in the village of Echten and was in a bad state of dilapidation. It was demolished in 1962 and rebuilt and put back in operation about 9 km’s away on its current location. In the past Ruinen had thirteen windmills, De Zaandplatte is the only remaining one. Initially the rebuilt mill was used as a holiday home. After the restoration at the end of the 20th century the ownership of the mill was transferred by the municipality to a foundation Vrienden van de Ruiner Molen . Since then the mill is grinding again and is running on a voluntary basis. In 2007 De Zaandplatte was chosen as the most beautiful mill of the province of Drenthe. Although with limited hours, the mill is open for visitors.

Windmill ‘De Koe’ (The Cow) is a grain mill in Veere, where it is located on one of the earth walls of the fortress just outside the city. It is a round brick mill, dating back to the year 1909. ‘De Koe’ is built on the location of an older mill from 1736, which was burnt down. Documents mention a mill named ‘De Coe’ already in 1599, so the current mill is most probably the third with this name. During that time there was also a mill named ‘De Stier’(The Bull). The mill has a reefing stage (‘stelling’) and the cap is covered with zinc. The upper part is white painted, which is a tradition in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It has a flight of 23.50 meters. The mill is no longer used as the ground floor houses nowadays a holiday home.

The ‘Molen van Frans’ (Mill of Frans) was built in 1711 as a paper mill by Bernardus Kremer. In 1870 the mill was sold to the family ‘Frans’ and it became its current name. The new owners turned the mill into a flour mill. To increase the efficiency the undershot mill was transformed into an overshot mill and a mill pond was constructed. Since 1963 the mill is owned by ‘Landschap Overijssel’, a foundation for conservation of the nature in the province of Overijssel. They ordered several restorations; the last took place in 1999. Nowadays the mill can still be used for grinding grain. But one can also visit the mill for information (although it has limited opening hours) about the mill and the flora and fauna in the surrounding countryside of the valley of the Mosbeek. It even has a small ‘eco shop’, selling their own flour and seed of wild flowers.

The ‘Wieker Meule’ (Mill of De Wijk) is an octagonal three storey smock mill on a two-storey wooden base. The stage is almost nine metres above ground level; the four sails do have a span of 22,50 metres. The mill was built in 1829 with elements coming from a mill in nearby Staphorst, dating back to the year of 1764. In an addition to the two pairs of pairs of stones driven by the wind, an extension was built against the base of the mill which housed two pairs of millstones driven by a diesel/electric engine. In 1926, the mill was bought by an agricultural bank and the ground floor was used as a bank office. Till the year of 1962 the Wieker Meule was used commercially. The mill fell into disrepair and in 1980 it was completely renovated. Since then the mill is often used for grinding corn, nowadays owned by a local society with volunteers.

Windmill ‘Rijn en Lek’ is dating back to 1659, when it was built on top of the - only remaining - medieval city gate of the town, the Leuterpoort. In the beginning it was used as a bark mill, but around 1820 it became a flourmill, which it still is. The mill stands proudly above the gate on the dike, next to the water meadow outside the city wall and nearly always catches enough wind. The ‘Rijn en Lek’ is the only drive-through-windmill in the world. It is often confused with the windmill painted by Ruisdael, called ‘The windmill at Wijk bij Duurstede’, which stood a few blocks away. The mill got its name ‘Rijn en Lek’ due to the fact that the Rhine changes its name into Lek River downstream from Wijk bij Duurstede.

Mill Laurentia was moved from the village of Bleskensgraaf, where it was used as drainage mill in the polder Alblasserwaard. In the year of 1893 the mill was rebuilt and started a ‘second life’ as flourmill nearby the village of Milheeze. Laurentia is an octagonal whitewashed ‘beltmolen*’ on a stone foundation with a reed covered superstructure. Originally the mill was called ‘Ludolizawi’, a contraction of the names of of the former owners. After a restoration in 1965 the mill became its current name Laurentia. *beltmolen = belt is a man made mound, providing more wind for a mill.

The ‘Lindesche Molen’ (also called ‘Molen Ons Belang’) is an octagonal ‘belt mill’. The ‘belt (= a man made hill) for this mill has a height of 4.20 metres. These ‘belts’ were made in order to provide more wind for the mill. The present mill was built in 1890 on the site of an even older mill (1856), which burned down. The mill wasn’t used for many many years. In the year of 1971 it was restored and the sails could turn again. Twenty years later mill stones were placed and the mill was ready for grinding flour again. The ‘Lindesche Molen’ is situated in the hamlet Linde, nearby the town of Vorden and along the ‘Achtkastelen route’ (Eight Castles route); a bike route along eight castles/mansions.

The Molen ‘t Slot (Mill on the Castle) is situated near the old town centre of Gouda and along the river Holland IJssel. The mill stands proudly on his spot since the year of 1832, replacing an earlier octagonal mill which was destroyed in 1831 by fire. It is however the third mill at this spot. The history goes even further back. The first mill was built (1581) on the foundations of a castle. The name ‘t Slot refers to the castle of the 'Heeren van ter Gouw', which was demolished in1577. Flour mill 't Slot is a so called smock mill. A smock mill is a type of windmill that consists of a sloping, horizontally weather boarded tower. It is topped with a cap that rotates to bring the sails into the wind. The mill is open for visitors when the sails are turning.

The current mill is the third one at this place. The first mill was a so called ‘grondzeiler’ with wings which came about two feet above the ground. The mill was built in 1854.by Abraham Ledeboer. Five years later the mill was sold to family Dieperink. In 1896 the original mill was destroyed by fire. The second mill was a thatched stage mill and was used by the same family till the year of 1948, when it was bought by family Vorderman, well known millers in the region. In 1967, still in operation, the mill was restored for the first time. Four years later the mill was destroyed again by fire. A local foundation took the initiative for rebuilding the windmill in Terwolde, 100 meters to the west of the old mill site. For the reconstruction the octagonal buck from the ‘Holtermansmolen’ from Deventer (most probably built in 1640 as a polder mill) was used. In 1990 the reconstruction of ‘De Ooievaar’ (the Stork) was completed . Since then it houses one of the seven remaining operational flour mills in the Netherlands. But on 31 August 2015 the mill burned down again. Eearly May 2018- after the reconstruction - 'De Ooievaar' was opened to the public again.

In the Middle Ages Sluis - a walled city - had a dozen mills. The only remaining windmill is‘De Brak’, named after a French breed 'Braque', a hunting dog always running with his nose in the wind. The mill was built in 1739 and was the first in the region made of stone. The upper part of the smock mill can be put into the direction of the wind, which is called ‘kruien’ by the miller. From the stage one has a magnificent view over the city, the ramparts and further afield. During World War II ‘De Brak’ was severely damaged; in 1950 began the reconstruction. The mill is now working as ever and is still used for grinding grain, which can be purchased in the mill store. ‘De Brak’ - located in the heart of Sluis - can be visited. More info (Dutch): www.molendatabase.nl/nederland/molen.php?nummer=917

Approaching Cadzand one can not miss its windmill ‘Nooit Gedacht’ (English: have never thought) in the flat landscape of the most western part Zeelandic Flanders, as it is a so called ’beltmolen’. A ‘belt’ is a man made hill. ‘Nooit Gedacht’ is - as often mills do - visually dominating the scenery. An older mill - de Kat - on the same spot burned down in 1897 and already one year later the present mill was built. During the liberation of Zeelandic Flanders in World War II the mill had severe damage. In 1974 the inhabitants of Cadzand were alarmed by a huge fire in the mill (in the meantime used as restaurant and bar). But again the mill was restored and opened again May 1977. Since that moment it is used again as a flour mill. ‘Nooit Gedacht’ is open for public on Sunday afternoon and during summer season also on Wednesday afternoon. More info (Dutch): www.molendatabase.nl/nederland/molen.php?nummer=868

Hattem - a small, but old, city on the Veluwe - has had its own flour mill ever since the Middle Ages, which was very important. Whenever a city in former ages was besieged, the food supply was not supposed to be at risk. ‘De Fortuin’ (The Fortune) was (and is) located within the city walls of Hattem ‘De Fortuin’ is a so called smock mill. In 1808 the mill was blown down by a severe storm and most probably rebuilt in 1816. In 1852, according to a plaque above the entrance door, it became its brick base. In the 20th century the mill was out of use for many years. In 1970/71 it was completely restored and nowadays it is used again for grinding wheat and can be visited on Saturdays. More info (Dutch): www.molendefortuin.nl