De Schoolmeester, Westzaan
Encyclopedia
De Schoolmeester is a smock mill
in Westzaan, Noord Holland, the Netherlands
which is maintained in full working order. It is the only wind powered paper mill
in the world. The mill is listed as Rijksmonument
number 40013.
s. In 1852, the mill was bought by Gerbrand de Jong, who owned another wind-powered paper mill, De Kaarsenmaker at Zaandijk
. He bought another nearby paper mill, De Vergulde Bijenkorf in 1854. In 1871, the mills were owned by Gebroeders de Jong, who demolished De Kaarsenmaker in the autumn of 1873. In 1877, the mill was modernised and a steam engine installed as auxiliary power. This meant that the mill was uninsureable against fire. In 1902, the nearby De Vergulde Bijenkorf burnt down. A steam driven paper factory was erected to replace it. This factory was able to make white paper. A fire started at De Schoolmeester in 1915 but was extinguished. In 1948, the steam engine was replaced by a Ford
gas engine. On 1 March 1949, the drying sheds were damaged in a storm, with over 30 metres (98.4 ft) of them being affected. They were rebuilt shorter than they had been previously. On 28 August 1957, De Schoolmeester was sold to Vereniging van Nederlandsche Papierfabrikanten by the de Jongs. In 1964, the gas engine was replaced by a Bernard diesel engine. In 1977, the mill was bought by Vereniging Zaansche Molens.. The diesel engine was replaced by an electric motor in 1979. A four-year restoration of the mill at a cost of €450,000 was completed in June 2002. The work included complete renewal of the drying sheds.
The number of times the sails revolved in recent years is recorded as:-
s D A Schrettlen & Co in 1860.
Reference for above:-
Smock mill
The smock mill is a type of windmill that consists of a sloping, horizontally weatherboarded tower, usually with six or eight sides. It is topped with a roof or cap that rotates to bring the sails into the wind...
in Westzaan, Noord Holland, 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...
which is maintained in full working order. It is the only wind powered paper mill
Paper mill
A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags and other ingredients using a Fourdrinier machine or other type of paper machine.- History :...
in the world. The mill is listed as Rijksmonument
Rijksmonument
A rijksmonument is a National Heritage Site of the Netherlands, listed by the agency Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed acting for the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.-History and criteria:...
number 40013.
History
The first paper mill in the Zaan region was built in 1605. De Schoolmeester was built in 1692. It is also known by the nickname De Gauwdief. The name De Schoolmeester (English: The Schoolmaster) probably denotes the occupation of one of the founders. The mill originally made grey paper. In 1778, the mill was powering two Hollander beaterHollander beater
A Hollander beater is a machine developed by the Dutch in 1680 to produce paper pulp from cellulose containing plant fibers. It replaced stamp mills for preparing pulp because the Hollander could produce in one day the same quantity of pulp it would take a stamp mill eight days to prepare.However,...
s. In 1852, the mill was bought by Gerbrand de Jong, who owned another wind-powered paper mill, De Kaarsenmaker at Zaandijk
Zaandijk
Zaandijk is a town in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Zaanstad, and lies about 11 km northwest of Amsterdam.Zaandijk has a population of around 9040.- History :...
. He bought another nearby paper mill, De Vergulde Bijenkorf in 1854. In 1871, the mills were owned by Gebroeders de Jong, who demolished De Kaarsenmaker in the autumn of 1873. In 1877, the mill was modernised and a steam engine installed as auxiliary power. This meant that the mill was uninsureable against fire. In 1902, the nearby De Vergulde Bijenkorf burnt down. A steam driven paper factory was erected to replace it. This factory was able to make white paper. A fire started at De Schoolmeester in 1915 but was extinguished. In 1948, the steam engine was replaced by a Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
gas engine. On 1 March 1949, the drying sheds were damaged in a storm, with over 30 metres (98.4 ft) of them being affected. They were rebuilt shorter than they had been previously. On 28 August 1957, De Schoolmeester was sold to Vereniging van Nederlandsche Papierfabrikanten by the de Jongs. In 1964, the gas engine was replaced by a Bernard diesel engine. In 1977, the mill was bought by Vereniging Zaansche Molens.. The diesel engine was replaced by an electric motor in 1979. A four-year restoration of the mill at a cost of €450,000 was completed in June 2002. The work included complete renewal of the drying sheds.
The number of times the sails revolved in recent years is recorded as:-
| Year | Revolutions |
|---|---|
| 2002 | 558,000 |
| 2003 | 435,115 |
| 2004 | 649,896 |
| 2005 | 589,336 |
| 2006 | 560,379 |
| 2007 | 630,406 |
| 2008 | 537,498 |
Description
De Schoolmeester is a six-sided smock mill with a stage, built on a two storey base. The stage is 3.8 metre above ground level. The mill itself is at the centre of a long range of drying sheds of green painted weatherboard under a pantile roof. The mill and cap are thatched with reeds. The cap is winded by a tailpole and winch. The four common sails drive the various items of paper making machinery. There are three Hollander beaters. The sails on the inner stock span 20.5 metre and the sails on the outer stock span 20.7 metre. They are carried on a cast iron windshaft which was cast by Leiden millwrightMillwright
A millwright is a craftsman or tradesman engaged with the construction and maintenance of machinery.Early millwrights were specialist carpenters who erected machines used in agriculture, food processing and processing lumber and paper...
s D A Schrettlen & Co in 1860.
Papermakers
- Gerbrand de Jong (1852-71)
- Gebroeders de Jong (1871-1952)
- W Kat (1859-1929)
- Cees Kruidenburg (1895-1955)
- Vereniging van Nederlandsche Papierfabrikanten (1952-77)
- Vereniging Zaansche Molens (since 1977)
Reference for above:-