De Onderneming (; en, The Company) 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 typ ...

Witmarsum, Friesland Witmarsum ( fry, Wytmarsum) is a village in the northern Netherlands. It is located in Súdwest-Fryslân, Friesland. Witmarsum had a population of around 1,735 in January 2017. Witmarsum was place of birth of Menno Simons (1496–1561), the lead ...

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 ...

which was built in 1850 and is in working order. It is used as a training mill. The mill is listed as a Rijksmonument.

History

''De Onderneming'' was built in 1850, probably by millwright Van der Meer of

Harlingen, Friesland Harlingen (; fy, Harns ) is a municipality and a city in the northern Netherlands, in the province of Friesland on the coast of Wadden Sea. Harlingen is a town with a long history of fishing and shipping that received city rights in 1234. Ov ...

. The foundation stone was laid on 17 September. In 1896, the mill was bought by Geurt Stoffels. It passed to his son Heimen in 1956. Following Heimen's death in 1968, the mill fell into disrepair. It was bought by the Gemeente Wûnseradiel. Restoration took place in 1970-71. Further restorations took place in 1988 and 1994. The mill is in the ownership of the Stichting tot Behoud van Momumenten in de gemeente Súdwest Fryslân. Used as a training mill, it is listed as a Rijksmonument, № 39437.

Description

''De Onderneming'' is what the Dutch describe as a "Stellingmolen". It is a smock mill on a wooden base. The stage is above ground level. 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. The mill is winded by tailpole and winch. The sails are

Common sails Common may refer to: Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Common, common land area in Cambridge, Massachusetts * Clapham Common, originally com ...

, fitted with the Fok system on their leading edges. They have a span of . The sails are carried on a cast-iron ''windshaft'', which was cast by Fabrikaat De Muinck Keizer of Martenshoek, Groningen in 1891. The ''windshaft'' also carries the ''brake wheel'' which has 60 cogs. This drives the ''wallower'' (31 cogs) at the top of the ''upright shaft''. At the bottom of the ''upright shaft'' is the ''great spur wheel'', which has 75 cogs. The ''great spur wheel'' drives a pair of diameter Cullen millstones via a ''lantern pinion stone nut'' which has 22 staves. A pair of Cullen millstones is driven via a ''lantern pinion stone nut'' which has 19 staves. Two pairs of Peak millstones, of and diameter, are driven via ''lantern pinion stone nuts'' which have 22 staves each.

Millers

* Geurt Stoffels (1896-1956) * Heimen Stoffels (1956–64)

Public access

''De Onderneming'' is open to the public on Saturday between 09:00 and 12:00, or by appointment.

References

{{Dutch Windmills Windmills in Friesland Windmills completed in 1850 Smock mills in the Netherlands Grinding mills in the Netherlands Agricultural buildings in the Netherlands Rijksmonuments in Friesland Octagonal buildings in the Netherlands