Wind mills in Leiden
Unique to Leiden is the number of mills within the town limits; nine. Museum De Valk is located near the central station, and present in use as a mill museum. But also the mills De Put and De Heesterboom are opened for public.
Municipal Windmill Museum De Valk
There were once nineteen windmills built on the city walls of Leiden but only De Valk is still standing today. The present mill has had two predecessors. In 1611, the post mill 'De Valck' was built upon the Valkenburger bulwark and later made way for a wooden tower mill in 1667. In 1743, the city council granted permission for the construction of an even taller tower mill but this time made of stone. This is the current 29-metre high mill known as 'De Valk', the body of which took only three months to build. The mill used no fewer than four millstones which provided considerable capacity. As a result of the depopulation of Leiden and the introduction of motorised grinding equipment, the mills found themselves in an increasingly vulnerable position at the end of the 19th century when many were dismantled. De Valk, however, continued to produce flour until well into the 20th century, although this was not powered by wind during the final years.
Windmill De Put
If you climb the stairs, you will experience a special moment. You end up in the shaking mill, where you see twisting wooden rads. You will enjoy a beautiful view. Mostly on Saturdays and Sunday the is opened for public. You are most welcome.
Windmill De Heesterboom
De Heesterboom is a sawmill, built in 1804. The windwill is sawing every saturday, showing the people how everything has been operating in business till 1953. The mill was restored in 1960 and we learned how to work with the mill from the old miller, which is still there every saturday to teach new enthouisiasts how to saw wood with a windmill.
