De Eendracht () is a

tower mill A tower mill is a type of vertical windmill consisting of a brick or stone tower, on which sits a wooden 'cap' or roof, which can rotate to bring the sails into the wind.Medieval science, technology, and medicine: an encyclopedia (2005), 520 Thi ...

Gieterveen Gieterveen is a village in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Aa en Hunze, and lies about 19 km east of Assen. History The village was first mentioned in 1458 as "Gheter vene", and means "peat (colony) belon ...

Drenthe Drenthe () is a province of the Netherlands located in the northeastern part of the country. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and the German state of Lower Saxony to the east. As of Nov ...

, the

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 1904 and 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 ...

, No. 16132. (Click on "Technische gegevens" to view)

History

The previous mill on this site was 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 ...

originally built at Nieuw-Buinen and moved to Gieterveen in 1877 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 ...

H Wiertsma of

Scheemda Scheemda () is a village with a population of 2,445 in the municipality of Oldambt in the province of Groningen in the Netherlands. Scheemda was a separate municipality until 2010, when it merged with Reiderland and Winschoten to form the muni ...

Groningen Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of t ...

. In April 1904, the mill burnt down. The present tower mill was built by millwright Christiaan Bremer of

Middelstum Middelstum () is a village with a population of 2,419 in the province of Groningen in the Netherlands. It is located in the municipality of Eemsdelta. Middelstum was a separate municipality until 1990, when it was merged with Loppersum. History ...

, Groningen, with the foundation stone being laid on 5 March 1905. The first owner was G Ketelaar. He sold the mill on 14 October 1905 to J Mulder for ƒ4,425. In 1939, one pair of Common sails were replaced with Patent sails. These were replaced with Common sails in 1958. The mill underwent a restoration in 1978 and again in 2002. On the death of miller Johannes Mulder in 2002, the mill was bequeathed to De Molenstichting Drenthe (English:''The Drenthe Mills Society''). The mill was returned to working order in 1005, but it was clear that a lot of work needed doing. The cap was removed in April 2007. The tower needed substantial repairs, and a steel "corset" was placed around the tower while repairs were made. The new cap was fitted in October 2007. The millwrights were Fabrikaat Dunning of

Zuidbroek, Groningen Zuidbroek (; Gronings: ''Zuudbrouk'') is a village in the Dutch province of Groningen. It is located in the municipality of Midden-Groningen, about 6 km north of Veendam. History Zuidbroek was a separate municipality until 1965, when it ...

. A new pair of Patent sails were fitted in 2008. (Click on "Geschiedenis" to view)

Description

''De Eendracht'' is what the Dutch describe as a "ronde stenen stellingmolen". It is a five-storey brick tower mill with a stage. The mill is winded by a tailpole and winch. The stage is about ground level. The sails, which are two Patents and two Commons, have a span of . They are carried in a cast-iron ''windshaft'' which was cast by Fabrikaat J M de Muink Keizer of

Martenshoek Martenshoek is a neighbourhood of Hoogezand and former village in the Dutch province of Groningen. It is located in the municipality of Midden-Groningen, about 2 km west of the town of Hoogezand.''ANWB Topografische Atlas Nederland'', Topogr ...

, Groningen, in 1905. The ''windshaft'' also carries the ''brake wheel'' which has 55 cogs. The ''brake wheel'' drives the ''wallower'' (27 cogs) at the top of the ''upright shaft''. At the bottom of the ''upright shaft'', the ''great spur wheel'' (73 cogs) drives 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 via ''lantern pinion stone nuts'', each having 22 staves.

Public access

''De Eendracht'' is open to the public by appointment. (Click on Informatie" to view)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eendracht, Gieterveen Windmills in Drenthe Tower mills in the Netherlands Windmills completed in 1904 Grinding mills in the Netherlands Rijksmonuments in Drenthe De Eendracht, Gieterveen