De Olde Molen is a

windmill A windmill is a structure that converts wind power into rotational energy using vanes called windmill sail, sails or blades, specifically to mill (grinding), mill grain (gristmills), but the term is also extended to windpumps, wind turbines, and ...

in Palm Beach,

Aruba Aruba ( , , ), officially the Country of Aruba ( nl, Land Aruba; pap, Pais Aruba) is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands physically located in the mid-south of the Caribbean Sea, about north of the Venezuela peninsula of ...

. It was originally built in 1815 as a windpump in Winschoterzijl,

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 ...

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 ...

. In 1897, it was moved to Wedderveer, Groningen where it served as a

gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the Mill (grinding), grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist i ...

. In 1960, it was bought by Theo Paalman and G.J. Woudenberg, two Aruban businessmen, disassembled and rebuilt in Aruba. The windmill is home to a restaurant and a windmill museum. It is located next to the

Bubali Bird Sanctuary The Bubali Bird Sanctuary ( Dutch: ''Bubali vogelreservaat'') form a 20 ha wetland area at the north-western end of the island of Aruba, a constituent country of the Dutch Caribbean. It has been identified as an Important Bird Area by Bir ...

History

In 1804 a mill was constructed as a

windpump A windpump is a type of windmill which is used for pumping water. Windpumps were used to pump water since at least the 9th century in what is now Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan. The use of wind pumps became widespread across the Muslim world an ...

in Winschoterzijl. The mill burnt down in 1814, and was rebuilt in 1815. In 1883, it was sold, and was relocated to Wedderveer, Groningen. In 1897, the windmill was rebuilt and functioned as a

. During the Wedderveer period, the mill was also known as ''Molen van Snelter'' and ''Molen van Jonker''. It remained in operation until 1939, and on 2 October 1958, the demolition was approved. Theo Paalman and G.J. Woudenberg, two Aruban businessmen, bought the mill in 1960, and planned to move it to Aruba as a tourist landmark. De Olde Molen was carefully disassembled, and prepared for shipment in pieces except for the blades which remained in one piece. The stone base was demolished, and a new base was constructed in Aruba for the restaurant. In March 1961, the first stone was placed by Lieutenant Governor E.J.C. Beaujon. The rebuilding was supervised by Jan Medendorp, a Dutch windmill builder, who had been responsible for disassembling the windmill. To prevent damage by the strong

trade winds The trade winds or easterlies are the permanent east-to-west prevailing winds that flow in the Earth's equatorial region. The trade winds blow mainly from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and from the southeast in the Southern Hemisph ...

on Aruba, the sails were fixed into place. In March 1962, construction was complete and the restaurant and mill museum opened. In 1973, De Olde Molen was sold to Joseph Patterson who restored the windmill, and decorated the restaurant with furniture and paintings dating between 880 and 1800. Medendorp returned to Aruba in 2001, and was disappointed, because the sails had been attached the wrong way, because the wheel should turn anticlockwise.

Gallery

File:Collectie Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen TM-20029584 Windmolen 'De Olde Molen' Aruba Boy Lawson (Fotograaf).jpg , De Olde Molen with correct sails (1964) File:Olde Molen Aruba.jpg, Sunset on Palm Beach File:Olde Molen.JPG, The sails (2013)

References

{{Buildings in Aruba Windmills in Aruba Buildings and structures in Noord Windmills completed in 1815 Tourist attractions in Aruba Windmills in Groningen (province)