De Adriaan
Encyclopedia
De Adriaan is a windmill
in the Netherlands
that burnt down in 1932 and was rebuilt in 2002. The original windmill dates from 1779 and the mill has been a distinctive part of the skyline of Haarlem
for centuries.
, on each side, and historically they were defending the city from possible attackers over the water. The Goevrouwetorenr was demolished in 1779 to make way for the windmill, as the towers were no longer useful for the defence of the city. The city border had moved to the north, and building on the foundations of the old tower would make it easy to build the windmill as high as possible, which would be efficient to catch wind. De Adriaan was officially opened on May 19, 1779.
The initiator of the building of the windmill was Adriaan de Booys, an industrial producer from Amsterdam
. He bought the Goevrouwetoren and the land around it from the municipality of Haarlem on April 24, 1778. He had to increase the strength of the tower's foundations and added extra wooden supporting poles for his windmill. The new tower stuck out above the city: the highest point of the mill is about 34 metres above the water level in the river Spaarne.
De Booys was granted permission to build a windmill that would produce cement
, paint
, and tan
. The latter is the bark of an oak (or other tree) that has been processed by the mill and can be used to tan hides. The windmill was built under supervision of miller Henricus Ruijsch from Waddinxveen
. De Booy earned the concession to be the sole producer of cement in the city for 25 years.
The original owner, De Booys, sold the windmill to Cornelis Kraan in 1802. The monopoly on cement had not been as lucrative as De Booys had hoped for; a competitor evaded the law by importing cement from Dordrecht
. The windmill was sold for 1650 guilders, and Kraan converted the mill into a tobacco
mill, to produce tobacco snuff. Kraan already owned a tobacco shop, at the Grote Houtstraat (number 12).
In 1865 a steam engine was placed in the windmill by the new owner, J. van Berloo, to make it more competitive in the market. However, it was not efficient enough, and it was to be put down. Then in 1925 the windmill was bought by the Dutch windmill society Vereniging De Hollandsche Molen to prevent demolition. They paid 12,100 guilders for the mill.
In a storm in 1930 the mill was severely damaged.
Immediately after the fire, citizens of Haarlem collected money to pay for the rebuilding of the mill. The owner of the mill, Vereniging De Hollande Molen, started a collection and the result was 3,000 guilders. The insurance money, 12.165 guilders, had to be used to pay off the mortgage
on the mill.
The municipality of Haarlem made 10,000 guilders, a large amount of money, available in 1938 for the renovation of the mill, but this was overruled by the provincial council because of the bad economic situation. The renovation had to be postponed until the economical situation improved (1930s).
In 1963 the Haarlem municipality became owner of the mill and tried to restore it. That failed, however, due to a lack of funds.
In September 1985 a plan was presented by the architects Braaksma and Roos for renovation of the Scheepsmakersdijk; and their plan included a renovated windmill. In 1995 detailed plans were made by the Haarlem municipality and on April 21, 1999 the first pole was put in the ground.
De Adriaan was rebuilt on the original foundations of the old windmill. Windmill De Adriaan was reopened on April 23, 2002, exactly 70 years after the fire. The current owner is Stichting Molen De Adriaan.
Windmill
A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important...
in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
that burnt down in 1932 and was rebuilt in 2002. The original windmill dates from 1779 and the mill has been a distinctive part of the skyline of Haarlem
Haarlem
Haarlem is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland, the northern half of Holland, which at one time was the most powerful of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic...
for centuries.
Goevrouwetoren
De Adriaan was built on the foundations of the Goevrouwetoren, or Goede Vrouwtoren (Goodwife Tower), a tower that used to be part of the city's defences. The towers were located on the river SpaarneSpaarne
The Spaarne is a river, in North Holland, Netherlands. This partially canalized river connects the Ringvaart to a side branch of the North Sea Canal. It runs through Haarlem, Heemstede, and Spaarndam....
, on each side, and historically they were defending the city from possible attackers over the water. The Goevrouwetorenr was demolished in 1779 to make way for the windmill, as the towers were no longer useful for the defence of the city. The city border had moved to the north, and building on the foundations of the old tower would make it easy to build the windmill as high as possible, which would be efficient to catch wind. De Adriaan was officially opened on May 19, 1779.
The initiator of the building of the windmill was Adriaan de Booys, an industrial producer from Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
. He bought the Goevrouwetoren and the land around it from the municipality of Haarlem on April 24, 1778. He had to increase the strength of the tower's foundations and added extra wooden supporting poles for his windmill. The new tower stuck out above the city: the highest point of the mill is about 34 metres above the water level in the river Spaarne.
De Booys was granted permission to build a windmill that would produce cement
Cement
In the most general sense of the word, a cement is a binder, a substance that sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. The word "cement" traces to the Romans, who used the term opus caementicium to describe masonry resembling modern concrete that was made from crushed...
, paint
Paint
Paint is any liquid, liquefiable, or mastic composition which after application to a substrate in a thin layer is converted to an opaque solid film. One may also consider the digital mimicry thereof...
, and tan
Tanning
Tanning is the making of leather from the skins of animals which does not easily decompose. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound from which the tanning process draws its name . Coloring may occur during tanning...
. The latter is the bark of an oak (or other tree) that has been processed by the mill and can be used to tan hides. The windmill was built under supervision of miller Henricus Ruijsch from Waddinxveen
Waddinxveen
Waddinxveen is a town and municipality along the Gouwe river in the western Netherlands in the province of South Holland near Gouda. The municipality had a population of 26,304 in 2004, 25.328 on new year's eve of 2010. and covers an area of 29.39 km² .In Waddinxveen, there's the so-called...
. De Booy earned the concession to be the sole producer of cement in the city for 25 years.
The original owner, De Booys, sold the windmill to Cornelis Kraan in 1802. The monopoly on cement had not been as lucrative as De Booys had hoped for; a competitor evaded the law by importing cement from Dordrecht
Dordrecht
Dordrecht , colloquially Dordt, historically in English named Dort, is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. It is the fourth largest city of the province, having a population of 118,601 in 2009...
. The windmill was sold for 1650 guilders, and Kraan converted the mill into a tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
mill, to produce tobacco snuff. Kraan already owned a tobacco shop, at the Grote Houtstraat (number 12).
In 1865 a steam engine was placed in the windmill by the new owner, J. van Berloo, to make it more competitive in the market. However, it was not efficient enough, and it was to be put down. Then in 1925 the windmill was bought by the Dutch windmill society Vereniging De Hollandsche Molen to prevent demolition. They paid 12,100 guilders for the mill.
In a storm in 1930 the mill was severely damaged.
Fire
On the evening of April 23, 1932 the windmill burnt down. The fire brigade arrived quickly but could not prevent the complete burning down of the mill. This event was a shock for many citizens of the city; the cause of the fire has never been established.Rebuilding
Mortgage loan
A mortgage loan is a loan secured by real property through the use of a mortgage note which evidences the existence of the loan and the encumbrance of that realty through the granting of a mortgage which secures the loan...
on the mill.
The municipality of Haarlem made 10,000 guilders, a large amount of money, available in 1938 for the renovation of the mill, but this was overruled by the provincial council because of the bad economic situation. The renovation had to be postponed until the economical situation improved (1930s).
In 1963 the Haarlem municipality became owner of the mill and tried to restore it. That failed, however, due to a lack of funds.
In September 1985 a plan was presented by the architects Braaksma and Roos for renovation of the Scheepsmakersdijk; and their plan included a renovated windmill. In 1995 detailed plans were made by the Haarlem municipality and on April 21, 1999 the first pole was put in the ground.
De Adriaan was rebuilt on the original foundations of the old windmill. Windmill De Adriaan was reopened on April 23, 2002, exactly 70 years after the fire. The current owner is Stichting Molen De Adriaan.