The Dutch Windmill

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The Dutch Windmill

• in Bad Bederkesa

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• The windmill in Bederkesa is located on a sand
  ridge 31 m above sea level overlooking the
  township.
• Although in outward appearance a combination of
  the galleried Dutch (or smock) and earthwall
  types, it was originally conceived as a cornmill,
  the entire structure beeing crowned with a
  windrose.
• This latter feature constitutes the most advanced
  design in windmills, where the windrose
  automatically moves the structures rotating cap
  and thus the sails into the direction of the
  prevailing wind.

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The windrose is moved by this gear wheel.
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• The present mill is equipped with a modern
  electric pulveriser (or hammer mill), but grain
  can still be ground by means of a set of old
  millstones driven by windpower. The vanes, which
  in their present day skeleton form, are intended
  to be sheathed in canvas, were formerly fitted
  with louvres.

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Already in the 16th century another type of
windmill is mentioned in Bremen records at the
same place. Up to the abolition of the mill
obligation in the 19th century it belonged
permanantly to the special administrative
district of Bederkesa and was leased out by the
castle-owners who always were the owners of the
windmill.
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After a stroke of lightning in 1881 it burned
down completely and was replaced by the owner at
that time, Hinrich Reysen, to the windmill of the
present day. Since 1968 its in possession of the
little town Bederkesa and was used by a miller
until 1990. Since that time a local registered
society in Bederkesa cares for the architectural
monument and keeps it open for visitors.
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• from Thilo, Basse and Wilken
• Fotos by Nils