The Klaarkampstermeermolen or Klaarkampstermolen is a

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 ...

windmill A windmill is a machine operated by the force of wind acting on vanes or sails to mill grain (gristmills), pump water, generate electricity, or drive other machinery. Windmills were used throughout the high medieval and early modern period ...

Rinsumageast Rinsumageast () is a village in the Dantumadiel municipality of Friesland, the Netherlands. It had a population of around 965 in 2017. The village is locally called ''De Geest'' (Dutch) or ''De Geast''Gildemacher, Karel F. (2007). Friese plaatsnam ...

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 ...

the 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 ...

. Built in 1862 the

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 ...

was relocated to its current position in 1893 and has been restored several times. Worked by volunteers it still drains the Klaarkampstermeer as of 2022. 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 ...

since 1970 and can be visited by appointment.

History

''De Klaarkampstermeermolen'' was originally built in 1862 at the Juckemavaart canal. It was moved to its current site in 1893 to drain the Klaarkampstermeer. The mill was restored in 1975 and an electric pump was installed. During a further restoration in 1991 the wooden windshaft was replaced by a

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content of more than 2% and silicon content around 1–3%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloying elements determine the form in which its car ...

one, cast by Gieterij Hardinxveld of

Hardinxveld-Giessendam Hardinxveld-Giessendam () is a municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. It is located about 10 km east of Dordrecht, on the river Beneden-Merwede. The municipality had a population of in and covers an are ...

South Holland South Holland ( ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.8 million as of January 2023 and a population density of about , making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely populated areas. ...

. A further restoration was undertaken in 2009. The mill is listed as a Rijksmonument, №11695.

Description

''De Klaarkampstermeermolen'' is a ''grondzeiler'', the mill can be set to the wind from the ground: as the sails almost touch the ground no stage is needed. It is a two-storey smock mill on a single-storey brick base. The mill is set to the wind by tailpole and winch. The smock and cap are

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

common sails Windmills are powered by their sails. Sails are found in different forms, 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 r ...

sit on wings with a span. The windshaft carries the 47 cogs ''brake wheel'' that drives the ''wallower'' (24 cogs) at the top of the ''upright shaft'' that has two ''crown wheels'' at the bottom end called the upper and the lower crown wheel. The upper ''crown wheel'' has 35 cogs and 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 documented hydraulic machines. It was so-named after the Greek mathematician Archimedes who first described it ...

. The lower ''crown wheel'', which has 34 cogs is carried on the axle of an Archimedes' screw that drains the Klaarkampstermeer polder. The axle of the screw is diameter and long. The diameter screw is inclined at 25.7° and each revolution lifts of water.

Visiting

As per 2020 the Klaarkampstermeermolen was open to the public by appointment and on the first Saturday morning of each month.

References

{{Dantumadiel Windmills in Friesland Windmills completed in 1893 Smock mills in the Netherlands Windpumps in the Netherlands Agricultural buildings in the Netherlands Rijksmonuments in Friesland Octagonal buildings in the Netherlands