De Vlieger Mill in Voorburg is a polder mill, built in 1621, making it the oldest still-working mill of its kind in the Netherlands. You can visit the mill. A guide will be happy to show you around the mill and explain everything about how it works, the life of a miller, and the polder landscape. What is there to see?
Outside, explanations are given regarding the operation of the large water wheel, setting the sails to the wind (cranking), and hoisting the sails. With a bit of luck, you might even be allowed to help! Take your unique photo here!
Inside, on the ground floor, there is a miller’s house/bedroom furnished around the year 1900, featuring many recognizable utensils for the older generation among us, which are simultaneously unfamiliar to children and evoke a look of amazement in them.
Also located on this floor are an original kitchen and toilet (not for use), and a first glimpse can be taken of the robust drive mechanism. You will be amazed! Upon request, a video of the tour can be shown here for visitors who do not wish to or cannot go further up.
On the first floor, using maps, photos, and artifacts, insight is provided into peat extraction, the function of the mill in the polder area, and the life of the miller. The various types of industrial mills and their products are also discussed. You have a good view of the large drive wheel and the large shaft (king post) that runs straight through the mill from top to bottom.
On the second floor (or rather, the attic in windmill terminology), there are about ten accurately scaled models of various types of windmills. Using these models, the application and background of these types of windmills are explained. The different methods for hoisting the sails and the so-called “windmill language” are also explained, and a room is shown where people in hiding stayed for some time during the Second World War.
On the third floor, the so-called cap (not always accessible), you get a good view of the sail shaft, the brake (catch), and the wooden bearings on which the cap and sails rotate. The guide explains how everything works and shows you examples of the ingenuity of the mill builders in devising technical and practical solutions.
Curious? Do not hesitate; visit our mill and immerse yourself in the grandeur of technology and romance!
(Photos by Charles Groeneveld)
