Arkens is a Hollow Post mill in
Franeker
Franeker (; ) is one of the eleven historical City rights in the Low Countries, cities of Friesland and capital of the municipality of Waadhoeke. It is located north of the Van Harinxmakanaal and about west of Leeuwarden. As of 2023, it had 13,0 ...
,
Friesland
Friesland ( ; ; official ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia (), named after the Frisians, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen (p ...
,
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 ...
which has been restored to working order. 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 15710.
[ (Click on "Technische gegevens" to view.)] It shares its name with the eponymous
hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
, just north of Franeker,
Arkens.
History
''Arkens'' was originally built in 1835 at a site to the north of its current position. It was built to drain the
Arkens polder
A polder () is a low-lying tract of land that forms an artificial hydrology, hydrological entity, enclosed by embankments known as levee, dikes. The three types of polder are:
# Land reclamation, Land reclaimed from a body of water, such as a ...
. Prior to 1910, it was fitted with four
Patent sails.
[ Photographs show that one pair of the Patent sails were wider at the tip than they were at the heel, the other pair were of standard construction.][ These were replaced 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'') ...
Westra of Franeker with common sails which are wider at the tip than they are at the heel (''Vlinderwieken'' ).[ ''Arkens'' is the only windmill in the Netherlands with this style of sails.][ A restoration of the mill was undertaken in 1955. The mill was moved to its current position in 1972, restoration taking until 1975. In 1994, a further restoration was carried out.]
Description
''Arkens'' is what the Dutch describe as a ''spinnenkop'' (). It is a hollow post mill on a single storey octagonal roundhouse. The mill is winded by tailpole and winch. The roundhouse and mill body are covered in vertical boards, while the roof of the mill is boarded and covered in dakleer. The sails are Common sails. They have a span of . The sails are carried on a wooden ''windshaft'' constructed from four separate pieces of timber. The ''windshaft'' also carries the ''brake wheel'' which has 34 cogs. This drives the ''wallower'' (18 cogs) at the top of the ''upright shaft''. At the bottom of the ''upright shaft'', the ''crown wheel'', which has 28 cogs drives a gearwheel with 27 cogs on the axle of the Archimedes' screw. The diameter of the axle of the Archimedes' screw measures 235 millimetres (9¼ inches) in diameter; the screw has a diameter and a length of . The screw is inclined at 23°. Each revolution of the screw lifts of water.[
]
References
{{Dutch Windmills
Franeker
Hollow post mills in the Netherlands
Rijksmonuments in Friesland
Windmills completed in 1972
Windmills in Friesland
Windpumps in the Netherlands