De Verrekijker, Bergharen
De Verrekijker (English: The Spyglass) is a tower mill in Bergharen, Gelderland, Netherlands which was built in 1904 and has been converted to a holiday cottage. The mill is listed as a Rijksmonument.
History
There was a post mill on this site in 1313, when it was sold to the Cistercians of Alten Camp, near Xanten (now in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany). A post mill was struck by lightning and destroyed on 31 December 1486. It was replaced by a new mill.[1] The mill immediately preceding the current mill was a post mill that was struck by lightning in 1903 and destroyed,[2] but not by fire; the damage done rendered the mill beyond repair.[1]
De Verrekijker was built in 1904 by millwright Willem Coppes of Bergharen. In 1962, the mill was stripped of its machinery and converted to a holiday cottage. The mill can turn in the wind. It is listed as a Rijksmonument, № 9303.[1]
Description
For an explanation of the various items of machinery, see
Mill machinery.
De Verrekijker is what the Dutch call a "Beltmolen". It is a three storey tower mill built on a mound.[1] The cap is covered n dakleer.[3] Winding is by tailpole and winch. The sails are Common sails, which have a span of 25.10 metres (82 ft 4 in). They are carried on a cast iron windshaft which was cast by Merckx in 1897. The windshaft also carries the brake wheel, which has 86 cogs. No other machinery remains.[1]
References
_Rijksmonument_9303_Molen_op_Kapelberg.JPG)
