Windmills & Pumping Stations

This polder mill drained the water of the Geestmolen Polder from the Egmondermeer via the Hoevervaart into the Schermer basin. In 1886, the scoop wheel was replaced by a wooden Archimedes screw, as happened with all mills. It is almost unimaginable that this mill once stood freely in the landscape. Since the 1970s, it has been surrounded by high-rise buildings.

Not all mills were inhabited, and this one wasn’t either. Across from it stands a beautiful house whose garden is open for viewing. Nevertheless, it was useful for the miller to have a sleeping place in the mill, for example, to stay alert during storms or rest during night-time pumping. A small stove and a bed were installed for this purpose.

Construction period/year and style
1565, octagonal North Holland interior windmill

Highlights and interesting facts:

• Still in operation.

• A commemorative stone marks the first stone laying for the screw and sump in 1886.

• A tram ran past the mill until 1930.

• The information panel at the edge of the site tells you more.

• After storm damage, the sails were put back into operation in January 2017.

Hoeverpad 13, Alkmaar

This pumping station is powered by a diesel engine and is therefore of great significance in the history of technical development in the Netherlands.

Back in time: after the polder mill that stood here burned down in 1912, the board of the polder ‘Het Overdie en de Achtermeer’ decided to install a diesel-powered pumping station. Although wind energy was free, capacity during windless periods was a problem. Steam engines were not ideal for small outputs.

Around 1900, the diesel engine emerged, proving suitable for this purpose. A simple brick building was constructed, designed by the well-known Alkmaar architect Laurens Groen. The style has ties to the Amsterdam School. It is one of Groen’s first works in the city. The installation is still in perfect condition.

Construction period/year and style
20th century

Highlights and interesting facts:

• Authentic installation from 1913.

• Designed by Alkmaar architect Laurens Groen.

Cort van der Lindenkade 33

Due to the reclamation of the Heerhugowaard polder, the basin water from other polders could no longer be discharged there, and an extra “stage” was added to the mill drainage. Water from the Raaksmaat basin was pumped into the Schermer basin, which was 40 cm higher. Around 1630, six mills were built along the current Hoornsevaart for this purpose, named A, B, C, D, E, and F.

Two mills disappeared
Mill F, at the end of the row, was already lost to fire in 1688 and was never rebuilt. In 1941, the water level difference was eliminated, and the mills lost their function. Mill A, the first mill seen from Alkmaar, was donated to the Open-Air Museum in Arnhem. During the war, a bomb fell on the warehouse where the mill was stored, and the remnants were burned to heat Arnhem refugees.

Alkmaar Mill Foundation
Since 2000, the mills have been owned by the Alkmaar and Surroundings Mill Foundation. The foundation has thoroughly restored the mills, prioritizing habitation and operational capability. All mills are inhabited by certified millers trained by the Guild of Volunteer Millers.

Construction period
Around 1630, octagonal North Holland interior windmills. Oak for the octagon, thatched trunk and cap. The cap rotates on wooden rollers and can be adjusted to the wind from inside. Originally equipped with a scoop wheel, replaced in the 19th century by an Archimedes screw. The sail cross is of the old Dutch type, with sails added in low wind.

Highlights/interesting facts:

• Traditional farmyard setup with barn, orchard, and vegetable garden.

• Miller’s son is also a miller.

• Volunteers helped build the living quarters in the mill.

• The mill is used fully.

• Operates in sufficient wind.

• Own website and Facebook page: www.molend.nl

Wheelchair accessible: no

The Otter is a thatched corn mill in Oterleek. It is an octagonal wooden mill. Probably since 1633, a corn mill has stood in Oterleek. The predecessor of the current mill burned down in 1899. After that, the miller’s house and the remaining parts of the mill were sold, and the current mill was built. It was operational until 1963. Today, the mill is managed by the Raphael Foundation, which operates the mill and a bakery in the adjacent barn with the help of people with intellectual disabilities. The mill turns and grinds regularly.

Construction period/year and style:
1899

Highlights and interesting facts:

• Every Saturday, volunteer millers work in the mill.

• Volunteers from the village also help keep the bakery open.

• The Otter’s sails are Pot-sails (riveted sails from the Firma Pot in Elshout) from around the previous turn of the century.

• The Pot-sails have recently been restored.

Wheelchair accessible: partially

Noordschermerdijk 1, Oterleek

Poldermolen D was built in early 1635 as a lower mill of the double three-mill system near Oudorp and is one of the fourteen district mills that pumped polder water into the inner basin. This mill pumped section D (315 hectares). Once, in 1635, after a year of pumping, the bottom of the Schermer became visible, the mill was moved to section D. So the mill only operated for a few months near Oudorp.

In 1875, the scoop wheel was replaced by an Archimedes screw. Until the electric Wilhelmina pumping station took over pumping in 1929, the mill was operational. Since 2006, the mill has been operational again with a deepened backwater channel and a longer Archimedes screw. The 300-meter long front ditch was also dug open again, so the mill can pump to the Noordervaart again.

Noordervaart 49, Stompetoren

The Noorderpolderhuis is a former water board house originally built as a carpenter’s house. The front door still has the richly decorated transom with an image of Saint Michael with agricultural tools. The house was purchased in 1744 by the water board, which built a stone front house with a bell turret and a council chamber. The complex is now owned by the Hoogheemraadschap Hollands Noorderkwartier. In the council chamber, the dike-reeve and councilors met under the ceiling with Latin inscriptions. The walls have been newly lined with gold leather wallpaper. The 18th-century marble fireplace with rococo carvings, the corner buffet with water board glasses, and the mahogany oval table are original. The Biedermeier chairs upholstered with horsehair were added later. Next to the house stands the carpenter’s barn, which still houses the oldest bowling alley in the country. The remarkable square “balls” and old carpenter’s tools are preserved here.

Construction period/year and style
17th/18th century

Highlights, interesting facts

• Rich interior from the 18th century

• Bell turret

Molendijk 5, Schermerhorn

Bovenmolen E belongs to the group of six mills in Schermerhorn, placed in 1636, a few years after the closure of the ring dike. Existing mills were reused. For Bovenmolen E, that was an upper mill from Oudorp or Rustenburg. In 1850, the mill was equipped with an Archimedes screw, where the three-level scoop wheel system was converted into a two-level screw system. As a result, the lower mills A and B became redundant. They were subsequently rebuilt as corn mills in Soest and Arkel.

Until the electric Wilhelmina pumping station took over pumping in 1929, the mill was operational. Due to lack of electricity, the mill system (in combination with polder mill O) was put back into operation in WWII between 15 November 1944 and late May 1945. In 1968–1969, the mill was restored, a new wooden screw was installed, and in 1993 a steel two-stage screw was placed, replaced again in 2006 by a wooden three-stage screw.

Molendijk 6, Schermerhorn

Ondermolen C was moved to the current location in 1636. In that year, the double three-mill system was also established at the Noordervaart, with two mills from Oudorp or Rustenburg. Officially, Ondermolen C was a middle mill until 1850. In that year, the scoop wheel was replaced by a screw. The three-level scoop wheel system was converted into a two-level screw system. As a result, lower mills A and B became redundant. They were subsequently rebuilt as corn mills in Soest and Arkel.

Ondermolen C was operational until Easter 1929, when the electric Wilhelmina pumping station took over. Due to lack of electricity, the mill system (in combination with polder mill O) was put back into operation in WWII between 15 November 1944 and late May 1945. In 1968–1969, the mill was restored and a new wooden screw was installed. In 2008, a piece broke out of the screw wheel. At that time, it was clear that the wheel and screw needed replacement, which was done in 2009.

Noordervaart 4, Schermerhorn