De Bente is a

smock mill The smock mill is a type of windmill that consists of a sloping, horizontally weatherboarded, thatched, or shingled tower, usually with six or eight sides. It is topped with a roof or cap that rotates to bring the sails into the wind. This type ...

Dalen Dalen (Dutch Low Saxon: ''Daoln'') is a village and a former municipality in the northeastern Netherlands, in the province of Drenthe. Since 1998, Dalen has been part of the municipality of Coevorden. The village was first mentioned in the 12th ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. It was built in 1814. The mill has been restored to full working order. It is listed as a

Rijksmonument A rijksmonument (, ) is a national heritage site of the Netherlands, listed by the agency Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed (RCE) acting for the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. At the end of February 2015, the Netherlands ...

, number 44563

History

De Bente was built in 1814 It replaced a mill that had been burnt down on 12 December 1813, through the actions of

Cossacks The Cossacks , es, cosaco , et, Kasakad, cazacii , fi, Kasakat, cazacii , french: cosaques , hu, kozákok, cazacii , it, cosacchi , orv, коза́ки, pl, Kozacy , pt, cossacos , ro, cazaci , russian: казаки́ or ...

attacking the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

garrison in Coevorden. This mill was a

post mill The post mill is the earliest type of European windmill. Its defining feature is that the whole body of the mill that houses the machinery is mounted on a single vertical post, around which it can be turned to bring the sails into the wind. All p ...

. (enter 2705 in box marked DB nr:, then click on underlined link) De Bente worked until 1944 when two sails were lost. The other pair of sails were lost in 1957. The mill was later demolished, leaving the base which was incorporated into a modern mill. It was restored in 1977 by

millwright A millwright is a craftsperson or skilled tradesperson who installs, dismantles, maintains, repairs, reassembles, and moves machinery in factories, power plants, and construction sites. The term ''millwright'' (also known as ''industrial mecha ...

J D Medendorp of

Zuidlaren Zuidlaren (Noordenvelds: ''Zuudlaoren'') is a village in the province of Drenthe in the Northern Netherlands. Zuidlaren has just over 10,000 inhabitants and is situated on natural heightened land which is called the Hondsrug. The village is part ...

.(Click on "Geschiedenis" to view) A new smock was built on the existing base. Machinery from a demolished windmill at

Großheide Großheide (East Frisian: Grootheid) is a village and a municipality in the district of Aurich, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 10 km east of Norden, and 15 km northwest of Aurich Aurich (; East Frisian Low Sax ...

Lower Saxony Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

was incorporated. In 1994, miller Hans Petit rented the mill, and had it restored to working order. In 2001, a third pair of millstones was installed. The mill produces about three tonnes of

flour Flour is a powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many culture ...

a week by windpower.

Description

De Bente is what the Dutch describe as an "achtkante stellingmolen", an eight-sided smock mill with a stage. The stage is above ground level. (Click on "Technische gegevens" to view) The mill has a three-storey smock on a two-storey base. The smock and cap are

thatch Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw, water reed, sedge (''Cladium mariscus''), rushes, heather, or palm branches, layering the vegetation so as to shed water away from the inner roof. Since the bulk of ...

ed. (Click on "Algemeen" to view) The Common sails have a span of . They are carried on a cast-iron ''windshaft'' dating from 1866, which originally came from a windmill at

Koekange Koekenage is a village in the De Wolden municipality of the province of Drenthe, Netherlands. History Koekange was founded by the '' heer'' of Echten to excavate the peat. It was first mentioned in 1290 as Kukange, and refers to Cockaigne, th ...

and has been shortened. It was cast by the millwrights Enthoven of

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

. The wooden clasp arm ''Brake wheel'' has 60 cogs. It drives the ''wallower'' at the top of the ''upright shaft''. The ''wallower'' has 33 cogs. At the bottom of the ''upright shaft'', the ''great spur wheel'' with 115 cogs drives two lantern pinion ''stone nuts'', each with 33 staves. There are two pairs of

millstone Millstones or mill stones are stones used in gristmills, for grinding wheat or other grains. They are sometimes referred to as grindstones or grinding stones. Millstones come in pairs: a convex stationary base known as the ''bedstone'' and ...

s which are diameter. One pair are of Cullen stones, the other pair have a Cullen runner stone on a French Burr bedstone. A third pair of stones was added in 2001.

Millers

*Hans Petit (since 1994) Reference for above:-

Public access

De Bente is open on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 13:00 to 17:00, on Saturdays from 10:00 to 17:00 and at other times by appointment.(Click on "Informatie" to view)

References

External links

De Bente website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bente, Dalen Windmills in Drenthe Smock mills in the Netherlands Windmills completed in 1814 Rijksmonuments in Drenthe Octagonal buildings in the Netherlands De Bente, Dalen