De Schoolmeester 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 type ...

Westzaan Westzaan is a village in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Zaanstad, and lies about 13 km northeast of Haarlem. It is located west of Zaandam, Koog aan de Zaan and Zaandijk, southwest of Wormer, southea ...

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 is maintained in full working order. It is the only wind powered

paper mill A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless belt, ...

in the world. The mill is listed as

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 40013.

History

The first paper mill in the Zaan region was built in 1605. ''De Schoolmeester'' was built in 1692. It is also known by the nickname ''De Gauwdief''. The name ''De Schoolmeester'' (English: The Schoolmaster) probably denotes the occupation of one of the founders. The mill originally made grey paper. In 1778, the mill was powering two Hollander beaters. In 1852, the mill was bought by Gerbrand de Jong, who owned another wind-powered paper mill, ''De Kaarsenmaker'' at

Zaandijk Zaandijk () is a town in the municipality of Zaanstad, province of North Holland, Netherlands. It lies about 11 kilometres (6.8 miles) northwest of Amsterdam and had a population of 8,686 in 2017.Statistics Netherlands (CBS), ''Statline: Kern ...

. He bought another nearby paper mill, ''De Vergulde Bijenkorf'' in 1854. In 1871, the mills were owned by Gebroeders de Jong, who demolished ''De Kaarsenmaker'' in the autumn of 1873. In 1877, the mill was modernised and a steam engine installed as auxiliary power. This meant that the mill was uninsureable against fire. In 1902, the nearby ''De Vergulde Bijenkorf'' burnt down. A steam driven paper factory was erected to replace it. This factory was able to make white paper. A fire started at ''De Schoolmeester'' in 1915 but was extinguished. In 1948, the steam engine was replaced by a

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

gas engine. On 1 March 1949, the drying sheds were damaged in a storm, with over of them being affected. They were rebuilt shorter than they had been previously. On 28 August 1957, ''De Schoolmeester'' was sold to Vereniging van Nederlandsche Papierfabrikanten by the de Jongs. In 1964, the gas engine was replaced by a

Bernard Bernard (''Bernhard'') is a French and West Germanic masculine given name. It is also a surname. The name is attested from at least the 9th century. West Germanic ''Bernhard'' is composed from the two elements ''bern'' "bear" and ''hard'' "brav ...

diesel engine. In 1977, the mill was bought by Vereniging Zaansche Molens. The diesel engine was replaced by an electric motor in 1979. A four-year restoration of the mill at a cost of €450,000 was completed in June 2002. The work included complete renewal of the drying sheds. The number of times the sails revolved in recent years is recorded as:-

Description

Westzaan - De Schoolmeester - kantstenen

''De Schoolmeester'' is a six-sided smock mill with a stage, built on a two-storey base. The stage is above ground level. The mill itself is at the centre of a long range of drying sheds of green painted weatherboard under a pantile roof. The mill and cap are thatched with reeds. The cap is winded by a tailpole and winch. The four common sails drive the various items of paper making machinery. There are three Hollander beaters. The sails on the inner stock span and the sails on the outer stock span . They are carried on a cast-iron windshaft which was cast by

Leiden Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration wit ...

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 ...

s D A Schrettlen & Co in 1860.

Papermakers

*Gerbrand de Jong (1852–71) *Gebroeders de Jong (1871-1952) **W Kat (1859-1929) **Cees Kruidenburg (1895-1955) *Vereniging van Nederlandsche Papierfabrikanten (1952–77) *Vereniging De Zaansche Molen (since 1977) Reference for above:-

Public access

''De Schoolmeester'' is open from 10:00 to 16:00, Monday to Friday, and at other times by appointment.

References

External links

The School Teacher
at De Zaansche molen {{DEFAULTSORT:Schoolmeester Smock mills in the Netherlands Windmills completed in 1692 Windmills in North Holland Pulp and paper mills in the Netherlands Rijksmonuments in North Holland Hexagonal buildings 1692 establishments in the Dutch Republic