De Mearmin, formerly also known as Geestermermeermolen, is a smock mill in Damwâld, Friesland, Netherlands, which was built in 1968 at Dokkum. The mill 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 467708. (Click on "Meer gegevens" to view.) Between 2014 and 2016, the mill was dismantled, restored and moved to a new site in Damwâld.

History

The ''Mearmin'' was built between 1968 and 1970 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 ...

Auke de Roos of Leeuwarden for the former owner Pier Prins in a privately owned little nature reserve called Geestmermeer. It incorporated parts of a drainage mill which stood at Readtsjerk, and also parts from various other demolished mills in Friesland. The windmill received monument status because of these historic parts in 1990, but only after a lengthy dispute. In later years, the windmill fell into disrepair. It was in a derelict condition by 2009 and under threat of disappearing completely. However, in March 2014 the mill was moved to the workshop of Hiemstra millwrights to be restored to working order. After restoration it was rebuilt at ''De Sûkerei'' open-air museum in Damwâld.

Description

''De Mearmin'' is what the Dutch describe as a "grondzeiler" . It is a two-storey smock mill on a single-storey base. There is no stage, the sail reaching almost to the ground. The smock and cap boarded. The mill is winded by tailpole and winch. The sails are Common sails. They have a span of . The sails are carried on a cast-iron ''windshaft'', which was cast by Koning of Foxham,

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 1903. The ''windshaft'' also carries the ''brake wheel'' which has 50 cogs. This drives the ''wallower'' (29 cogs) at the top of the ''upright shaft''. At the bottom of the ''upright shaft'', the ''crown wheel'', which has 37 cogs drives a gearwheel with 34 cogs on the axle of the Archimedes' screw. The wooden screw has a diameter.

Public Access

The windmill is part of an open-air museum "De Sûkerei" and can be visited during opening hours of the museum.

References

External links

Website museum "De Sûkerei"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marmeerin Windmills in Friesland Windmills completed in 2016 Smock mills in the Netherlands Windpumps in the Netherlands Former Rijksmonuments in Friesland Octagonal buildings in the Netherlands