Grenszicht (English ''Border view'') or Molen van Geerdink 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 t ...

Emmer-Compascuum Emmer-Compascuum is a village in the Netherlands and is part of the Emmen municipality in Drenthe. Emmer-Compascuum is located in the Bourtange moor between Germany and the Netherlands. It was originally a '' compascuum'' (common pasture). In 18 ...

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. It was built in 1907. The mill is listed as a

Rijksmonument A (, ) 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 had 61,822 l ...

, number 14690.

History

Grenszicht was built in 1907 by

millwright A millwright is a craftsman or skilled tradesman who installs, dismantles, maintains, repairs, reassembles, and moves machinery in factories, power plants, and construction sites. The term ''millwright'' (also known as ''industrial mechanic'') ...

J H Schulte of

Ter Apel Ter Apel (; Gronings: ''Troapel'') is a village with a population of 9,914 residents in the municipality Westerwolde (municipality), Westerwolde in the northern Netherlands, in the province Groningen (province), Groningen in the region Westerwolde ...

Groningen Groningen ( , ; ; or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. Dubbed the "capital of the north", Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of ...

. It had previously stood at

Oude Pekela Oude Pekela ( Gronings: ''Olle Pekel''; ) is a town in the Dutch province of Groningen. It is located in the municipality of Pekela, about 5 km southwest of Winschoten. It was established to exploit the peat in the area. During the 19th cent ...

, Groningen where it had been used as a drainage windmill. A steam engine was used as auxiliary power. It was replaced by a oil engine. This was replaced in 1941 by a electric motor. A pair of sails was lost in 1936, and the other pair in 1947. The mill ceased work in 1967. In the winter of 1974–75, the mill was restored by millwright Molema of

Scheemda Scheemda () is a village with a population of 5,085 in the municipality of Oldambt in the province of Groningen in the Netherlands. Scheemda was a separate municipality until 2010, when it merged with Reiderland and Winschoten to form the mun ...

, Groningen. New sails and a new windshaft were fitted, and the mill was re-

thatch Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw, Phragmites, water reed, Cyperaceae, sedge (''Cladium mariscus''), Juncus, rushes, Calluna, heather, or palm branches, layering the vegetation so as to shed water away fr ...

ed. The original wooden windshaft was kept as a museum piece. On completion of the restoration, the mill was named "Grenszicht" as it stands close to the Dutch – German border. In 2002, a museum was opened as part of the mill. (Click on ''Geschiedenis'' to view.)

Description

Grenszicht is what the Dutch describe as an "achtkante stellingmolen" – a smock mill with a stage. The mill has a four-storey base with a three-storey smock. The stage is at third-floor level and is above ground level. The smock and cap are thatched. The cap is winded by a tailpole and winch. The four Common sails, which span are carried on a cast-iron ''windshaft''. This was cast in 1928 by millwright H J Koning. The windshaft also carries the ''brake wheel'' which has 69 cogs. This drives the ''wallower'' (29 cogs) at the top of the ''upright shaft''. At the bottom end of the ''upright shaft'' the ''great spur wheel'' (81 cogs) drives two lantern pinion ''stone nuts'', of 23 and 26 staves. Each stone nut drives a pair of Cullen millstones. (Click on ''Technische gegevens'' to view.)

Public access

Grenszicht is open to the public by appointment. (Click on ''Informatie'' to view.)

References

{{Dutch Windmills Windmills in Drenthe Windmills completed in 1907 Grinding mills in the Netherlands Smock mills in the Netherlands Octagonal buildings in the Netherlands Rijksmonuments in Drenthe Buildings and structures in Emmen, Netherlands