Mellemolen, formerly known as the Polslootpoldermolen (English: ''Polsloot Polder Mill'') or Spookmolen (English: ''Ghost Mill'') is a hollow post mill in

Akkrum Akkrum is a village in the Dutch province of Friesland. It is located in the municipality Heerenveen, about 17 km south of the city of Leeuwarden. Akkrum had about 3,395 inhabitants in 2017. History The village was first mentioned in 1315 as ...

Friesland Friesland (, ; official fry, Fryslân ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia, is a province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen, northwest of Drenthe and Overijssel, north of ...

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 has been restored to working order. The mill is listed as a

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 35937.

History

''De Polslpootpoldermolen'' was marked on a map of Utingeradeel dated 1849. The mill was then known as the Spookmolen. In 1947 it was decided to replace the mill with an electrically powered pump. Permission was sought to demolish the mill but this was denied, as it was again in 1952. The mill was repaired in 1961 and 1971. On 13 November 1972 the mill was blown down in a storm. It was restored in 1976 at a cost of f80,000. At this time it was owned by the

Gemeente As of 24 March 2022, there are 344 municipalities ( nl, gemeenten) and three Caribbean Netherlands, special municipalities () in the Netherlands. The latter is the status of three of the six island territories that make up the Dutch Caribbean. ...

Boarnsterhim Boarnsterhim (; nl, Boornsterhem ) was a municipality in the northern Netherlands. On 1 January 2014, the municipality was dissolved and its territory was split between four other municipalities: De Friese Meren, which was established that day, L ...

and stood at Ulbe Twijnstrawel 21, 8491 CD, Akkrum. The mill's condition again deteriorated under the ownership of the Gemeente Boarnsterhim. Concern was expressed about its condition by the Monumentenzorg and

De Hollandsche Molen Vereniging De Hollandsche Molen () ( en, Dutch Windmill Association) is a Dutch organization founded in 1923 to preserve windmills in the Netherlands, to document them, and to restore them. Financial support comes from members and from grants by o ...

. Stichting Molens de Leeg Midden was formed and took over the mill. Plans were made to rebuild it at a new location. The mill was dismantled in 2003 and rebuilt at its new site. This was completed in June 2004 and the mill was renamed the Mellemolen. (Click on ''Geschiedenis" to view.) The work was carried out by Fabrikaat Hiemstra of

Tzummarum Tzummarum ( fry, Tsjummearum) is a village in Waadhoeke municipality in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It had a population of around 1,414 in January 2014. History The village was first mentioned in the 13th century as de Thumarentum, ...

Description

''Mellemolen'' is what the Dutch call a Spinnekopmolen (English: ''Spider mill''). It is a small hollow post mill with an

octagon In geometry, an octagon (from the Greek ὀκτάγωνον ''oktágōnon'', "eight angles") is an eight-sided polygon or 8-gon. A '' regular octagon'' has Schläfli symbol and can also be constructed as a quasiregular truncated square, t, whi ...

al roundhouse. The four Common sails, which have a span of are carried on a wooden ''windshaft'' which is about long. (Click on ''Technische gegevens" to view.) The mill had a cast-iron ''windshaft'' before the 2004 rebuild. The

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 ...

replaced it because he did not like the use of a cast-iron windshaft in a Spinnekop. The ''brake wheel'' has 35 cogs, It drives the ''wallower'' (17 cogs) at the top of the ''upright shaft'', which is contained within the post of the trestle. At the lower end of the ''upright shaft'', the crown wheel (30 cogs) drives the Archimedes' screw via a gearwheel with 33 cogs. The Archimedes' screw is made of wood. It has an axle diameter of and a total diameter of and is inclined at 26°. Each revolution pumps of water.

Public access

Mellemolen is open to the public by appointment only.

References

External links

{{commons category, Mellemolen Windmills in Friesland Windmills completed in 2004 Hollow post mills in the Netherlands Rijksmonuments in Friesland