De Pankoekstermolen is a smock mill in

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 1900. It has been restored to working order and is designated as being in reserve. It is listed as a Rijksmonument.

History

''De Pankoekstermolen'' was built in 1900 to drain the Oosthemmerpolder. It replaced a mill built in 1817 that was struck by

lightning Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the ground, temporarily neutralize themselves, causing the instantaneous release of an avera ...

and burned down in 1899. ''De Pankoekstermolen'' was built by millwright J H Westra of

Franeker Franeker (; fry, Frjentsjer) is one of the eleven historical cities of Friesland and capital of the municipality of Waadhoeke. It is located north of the Van Harinxmakanaal and about 20 km west of Leeuwarden. As of 1 January 2014, it had 12 ...

, Friesland. A

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-ca ...

was installed in the mill in 1967. Until 1975, the mill was fitted with

Patent sails Windmills are powered by their sails. Sails are found in different designs, from primitive common sails to the advanced patent sails. Jib sails The jib sail is found in Mediterranean countries and consists of a simple triangle of cloth wound rou ...

. Construction of a new pumping station in 1976 made the mill redundant; the diesel engine was then removed. A restoration of the mill was carried out by millwright Westra of Franeker in 1975-76. On 21 June 1977, ''De Pankoekstermolen'' was sold to

Stichting De Fryske Mole The Stichting De Fryske Mole ( en, Frisian Mills Foundation) is a foundation for the preservation of windmills in the Dutch province Friesland, owning 42 of the 124 windmills in Friesland and closely co-operating with the Gild Fryske Mounders with w ...

, the 15th mill bought by that organisation. In 2006, the mill was officially designated as being held in reserve. A new restoration was begun in 2014. It is listed as a Rijksmonument, №39438.

Description

''De Pankoekstermolen'' 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 sails reaching almost to ground level. The mill is winded by tailpole and winch. 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 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 ...

. They have a span of . The sails are carried on a

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron– carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impur ...

''windshaft'', which was cast by Gietijzerij De Prins van Oranje,

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 o ...

, South Holland. The ''windshaft'' carries the ''brake wheel'' which has 55 cogs. This drives the ''wallower'' (29 cogs) at the top of the ''upright shaft''. At the bottom of the ''upright shaft'' there are two ''crown wheels'' The upper ''crown wheel'', which has 39 cogs, drives an

Archimedes' screw The Archimedes screw, also known as the Archimedean screw, hydrodynamic screw, water screw or Egyptian screw, is one of the earliest hydraulic machines. Using Archimedes screws as water pumps (Archimedes screw pump (ASP) or screw pump) dates back ...

via a ''crown wheel''. The lower ''crown wheel'', which has 35 cogs is carried on the axle of an Archimedes' screw, which is used to drain the polder. The axle of the screw is diameter and long. The screw is diameter. It is inclined at 21°. Each revolution of the screw lifts of water.

Public access

''De Pankoekstermolen'' is open whenever it is working, or by appointment.

References

{{Dutch Windmills Windmills in Friesland Windmills completed in 1900 Smock mills in the Netherlands Windpumps in the Netherlands Agricultural buildings in the Netherlands Rijksmonuments in Friesland Octagonal buildings in the Netherlands