Polder Mill De Dog
A grinding mill is undoubtedly a powerful machine. Anyone who wants to see with their own eyes how the Dutch kept their feet dry until the 20th century should visit De Dog in Uitgeest on a windy day. When the sails are turning, the miller is present and visitors can take a look around.
North of Uitgeest, along the Geesterweg, stands the Dog, a sturdy and, at 125 years old, still young polder mill. Together with the electric pumping station next to it, the Dog drains the Castricummerpolder.
Octagonal top cruiser
The Dog is a robust polder mill. In good wind conditions, the sails make 20 revolutions per minute. They reach a speed of 120 kilometre hour. The mill then moves about 80 cubic meters of water per minute, or 80,000 liter cartons of milk. It is an impressive sight. In 2020, the mill operated for 360 hours.
‘Sailing ship’
However, this requires favorable wind conditions. Every effort has been made to ensure this with the Dog. The sails were fitted with jibs in 1965. Engineer and sailor Leen Fauël (1891-1992) noticed that he could sail even in light winds, while a windmill could not grind. He applied the jib sails of a wooden sailing boat to the windmill blades, enabling them to turn well even in light winds. This turns a windmill into a sailing ship on dry land.
Mill history
The Castricummerpolder was formed in 1579 and shortly thereafter equipped with a polder mill, a predecessor of the current mill. How the mill got its name is unknown: perhaps 'Dogge' was the name of a watercourse in the neighbourhood. The mill had a paddle wheel, but in 1876 a screw pump was installed. This immediately created living space for the miller in the hull. In 1893, an auxiliary steam pumping station was built next to the mill to provide assistance when there was no wind.
Miller's drama
On December 6, 1895, at around 2:30 p.m., during a violent storm, the mill was struck by lightning. Within half an hour, it burned to the ground. Two daughters of miller Klaas Ooijevaar (1852-1932) perished in the inferno. The polder decided to rebuild because the pumping station could not cope on its own. The well-known Zaandijk millwright Pieter Vredenduin (1835-1896) provided the design. The polder immediately had a separate house built for the miller.
Restoration
In 1934, the steam installation in the pumping station was replaced by a diesel engine. De Dog then became redundant, but during the Second World War, the polder quickly had the mill refurbished because diesel oil was no longer available. After the war, decay set in again, but fortunately, after a long run-up, the first major restoration took place in 1963. De Dog often helps out during heavy rainfall.
Extra
- The Dog and other windmills in Uitgeest
- If you are walking stage 11 of the Noord-Hollandpad (from Akersloot to Krommenie), you can take a slight detour to visit the Dog. The best time to visit the mill is after a few days of rain in the spring or fall, as this is when you are most likely to see it in operation.
- A recent interview with miller Peter Heeremans
- Peter and his wife Sylvia (and the Dog) also speak in a podcast by the Whispering Windmills project.
- The Whispering Windmills Project
- Whispering Windmills podcast series
- You can also take a " windmill tour" by bicycle.
The preservation of the mill is made possible in part by the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands and the province of North Holland.