Dutch windmills: the Wissinks möl in Usselo, The Netherlands

A certain @steemokto (hi!) asked about windmills in The Netherlands, so I donned my wooden shoes, stuck a tulip behind my ear, lit a joint, and took off into the rain on my bicycle to the nearest windmill (did I get all stereotypes?).

It is called the Wissinks möl, Mr. Wissink being the first owner and "möl" being the local dialect word for "molen", meaning mill. This mill has three sets of millstones for grinding grains. It was in active use from 1802 to 1921, but it still works and is occasionally used for demonstrations.

Olympus Stylus 1s, 100mm, ISO800, f5, 1/40s

This mill's model may surprise some, as it isn't the type of mill The Netherlands are famous for. Most windmills in the West of The Netherlands that draw tourists were used for pumping water out of polders, and are of a different model. In the East of The Netherlands we are well above sea level and I often wonder if it is really such a good idea to keep the West from flooding, but that is another story.

The mill in the photo is a post mill, "standerdmolen" in Dutch. It is the earliest type of European windmill, but it has been in use for centuries, especially in smaller communities. Typical for a post mill is that the whole construction is turned into the wind, in stead of just the top. It sits on a very strong base that holds the central turning axle:

Olympus Stylus 1s, 45mm, ISO800, f5.6, 1/25s

To the right, under the stairs, you see a big beam. This is used for turning the mill into the wind by muscle power:

Olympus Stylus 1s, 33mm, ISO800, f4, 1/40s

Everything turns with the mill, including the stairs. To avoid having to carry the sacks of grain up, and the sacks of flour down the stairs, there is a small hatch at the level of the working floor with a lifting tackle above it:

Olympus Stylus 1s, 150mm, ISO800, f4, 1/40s

So there you have it, a post about a Real Dutch Windmill. For its inner workings, look here.

The other operational windmill near my home town is in Lonneker, it is a beltmolen and has a more familiar model. I'll take some photos when I have the time.