Picture and type of the Mill	Information
De Kat (The Cat) - Dye Mill	Dye mill on the Kalverringdijk (Zaanse Schans) in Zaandam. On January 11, 1646, a gentleman named Adriaan Gerritsz. van Someren was granted a wind contract (a kind of government permit for catching the wind) which effectively was a building permit for his dye mill De Kat along the Kalverringdijk. The mill caught fire in 1782 but was restored shortly afterwards. It was to take another century before the mill was demolished to the level of the gallery in 1904. Following restoration around 1960, the mill was originally used for sifting sawdust. It then became a dye mill as well as being used for grinding chalk. De Kat now complements the range of mills belonging to the Society of Zaan Mills at the Zaanse Schans.
De Bleeke Dood (The Pale Death) - Flour Mill	Flour mill located on the Lagedijk in Zaandijk. Zaandijk's citizens have traditionally and literally - at least since 1656 - lived between life and death i.e. between the mills Het Leven (Life) and De Bleeke Dood (Death). The mill Het Leven was a drainage mill in the northern most tip of the village that saw service between 1633 and 1904. Mill De Bleeke Dood was a flour mill in the south of the village. Until the mid-19th century bakers were obliged to have their wheat ground in the village flour mill which was the primary function of the De Bleeke Dood mill in Zaandijk. When this obligation fell into disuse, the mill itself deteriorated. For many years afterwards De Bleeke Dood with its dilapidated body stood out like a sore thumb in picturesque village of Zaandijk. The skeleton that was the mill stood head and shoulders above the village. In the early 1930s, the mill lost all the attributes that give it the appearance of a mill, first its sails, then its 'tail' and finally its gallery.
De Huisman (The Homemaker) - Mustard Mill	Mustard and spice mill on the Kalverringdijk (Zaanse Schans) in Zaandam. The construction of the current mustard mill De Huisman involved the demolition and use of various components of another windmill called Het Indisch Welvaren (The Indian Prosperity) and a paper warehouse. The paper warehouse was already located on the Kalverringdijk, but De Huisman and Het Indisch Welvaren were originally located elsewhere in Zaandam. During the 1950s, both mills had to be moved due to municipal redevelopment. The old Huisman was moved to the Kalverringdijk in 1955 with the other mill following two years later. One only has to glance at De Huisman to realize one is looking at something special. Since 1961, the renowned ‘Zaanse Mosterd' has been produced in De Huisman in exactly the same way as in the olden days. The only difference is that it can be bought now in almost every Dutch supermarket.
De Bonte Hen (The Colourful Hen) - Oil Mill	Oil mill on the Kalverringdijk (Zaanse Schans) in Zaandam. This mill was probably built in 1693. It was partially demolished in 1935. The Society of Zaan Mills bought the rump in 1973, restoring it to its former glory over the next five years and kitting it out as oil mill. With a pair of edge runner stones, a first and second pounding, with stone stoves and striking rams... the mill is in perfect working order and is in regular use.
De Ooievaar (The Stork) - Oil Mill	Oil mill close to the Queen Juliana Bridge in Zaandam. De Ooievaar was moved from Assendelft to Zaandam in 1669 and re-assembled on the Kalverringdijk where it still stands today! Originally De Ooievaar was an oil mill in Assendelft before being resurrected in Zaandam as an oil mill. For many years, however, De Ooievaar lived another life - just as many of its peers. After 1897, the mill was used to grind husks and thereafter cocoa waste until it finally fell silent. The Zaan area used to have hundreds of this kind of mill. The Society is fortunate enough to have two other mills within its ranks: De Zoeker and De Bonte Hen. These mills were used to produce various sorts of vegetable oils, such as linseed oil, rapeseed oil and coleseed oil, to name but a few. In 1936, De Ooievaar was finally closed down. The mill gradually fell into disrepair until there was virtually nothing left of it. That is until the Society decided to embrace its wreck in September 1955. A restoration plan was drawn up immediately which fortunately received the necessary approvals from the appropriate authorities. A year later, the mill looked like a million dollars and was once again taken in production. For the last half century, De Ooievaar has gazed out over the Zaan towards its neighbour across the water in Zaandijk - the flour mill known as De Bleeke Dood. The mill is not open to the public.
Held van Jozua (Hero of Jozua) - Saw Mill	This mill has been build in or shortly before 1719. Further there is no remarkable history about this mill.
Het Jonge Schaap (The Young Sheep) - Saw Mill	The newest asset of our Society is the brand-new saw mill Het Jonge Schaap, situated near the Zaanse Schans. The original mill by this name was located behind the railway station of Zaandam and was demolished in 1942. Fortunately prior to its demolition Anton Sipman, a teacher at a technical school, had measured all parts and had made an extensive set of very detailed drawings. These provided the basis for modern computer-drawings, ultimately leading to the start of the reconstruction of the saw mill. The first pile was driven into the ground on September 24, 2005 and almost exactly two years later - on September 27 - three of our life members lifted the brake rope and thus officially put the new mill into action. The reconstruction of Het Jonge Schaap is the largest project in the rich history of our Society which demanded an investment of nearly 1.9 million euro. The funds were raised by considerable subsidies from the Province of North-Holland and the city of Zaanstad as well as from major and minor sponsors, donations and efforts of our own members.
De Koker (The Chute) - Flour Mill	Flour mill located at Oosteinde in Wormer. Wormer can attribute much of its fame to one activity, the baking of ships' biscuits. Flour was needed to bake these biscuits and in order to have sufficient flour wheat had to be ground in the mills. This activity began as long ago as the 16th century with one mill but when the demand for baking products began to grow exponentially more and more mills appeared for the purpose of grinding wheat. History: Of all the flour mills located in the village, only one is still with us today: De Koker or also called De Zwarte Hengst (The Black Stallion) on the Oosteinde. It is very much the question whether this mill is the original Koker or Zwarte Hengst, because very few mills have been subjected to the kind of treatment this mill had to endure. On various occasions, storm damage devastated its thatched roof, and on two occasions the mill caught fire (in 1840 and 25 years or so later). Despite all that, the mill is here to be enjoyed today, not only as a flour mill, but also as a peeling mill. It can truly be said to have double duties.
De Poelenburg (The Poelenburg) - Saw Mill	Saw mill on the Kalverringdijk (Zaanse Schans) in Zaandam. At one time, there were more than 200 saw mills in the Zaan region. The first were to see the light of day between 1614-1618 and many more were to follow thereafter. To all intents and purposes, mechanical saw mills were here to stay. Today, however, only two remain. De Poelenburg is a so-called paltrok mill. Paltrok saw mills have an open structure and are turned into the wind with the aid of a great ring of wooden rollers on a brick-and mortal wall. History: De Poelenburg was built in Koog aan de Zaan in 1869, but was obliged to move to the eastern part of Zaandam thanks to a railtrack being built in the vicinity. In 1963 the mill was dismantled yet again and brought to the Zaanse Schans, which is hopefully where it will remain.
Het Prinsenhof (The Prince's Court) - Peeling Mill	Peeling mill on the Weelsloot in Westzaan. The octagonal smock mill was built in 1722 and spent the first 178 years of its life peeling barley. In 1899 the mill started to be used for the processing of coffee husks from Hamburg and Bremen, an activity that was to continue for the next 20 years. From around the outset of World War I sawdust was ground to wood pulp, a raw material for the manufacture of linoleum. This activity was sustained until 1954 when the mill was taken over by a large barley peeling concern. In 1961, the mill was sold to the Society for the princely sum of 6,000 Dutch guilders. After a comprehensive restoration in the early 1970s plans were drawn up to use the mill for peeling barley and to process that to high quality pearl barley. And that is what Het Prinsenhof has done right up until today.
De Schoolmeester (The Schoolmaster) - Paper Mill	Paper mill located on the Guispad at Westzaan History: Paper mills like De Schoolmeester attracted global fame in bygone years. They wrote history by producing paper of exceptional quality. Indeed, the American Declaration of Independence is said to have been printed on paper made in a Zaan mill. First mention is made of a paper mill along the Zaan in 1605, but it is likely the first one was around four years earlier. The first Zaan paper mills made only grey, blue and 'bond' paper, as De Schoolmeester mill still does today. The production of white paper was yet to come. A number of important discoveries were made on the Zaan, including the beater tub, the so-called 'Hollander'. The principles of paper-making consist of separating the fibres of textile waste such as rugs, old rope and fish nets. By making use of the beater tub it was possible to reduce the time involved by 75% while considerably improving the quality of the paper at the same time. At the end of the 17th century, there were some 40 paper mills in the Zaan region, all equipped with two or three beater tubs. Since 1692, De Schoolmeester had been owned by one or more owners, but as of 1977 there was only one: the Society of Zaan Windmills.
De Zoeker (The Seeker) - Oil Mill	Oil mill on the Kalverringdijk (Zaanse Schans) in Zaandam De Zoeker is the mill which formed the basis for the establishment of the Society of Zaan Mills. The mill however was not then located on its present site along the Kalverringdijk in Zaandam. De Zoeker was situated in the Westerzijderveld in Zaandijk, where it was built in 1672. De Zoeker spent much of its working life as an oil mill before being converted in 1891 into a dye mill. The oil works were re-installed 10 years later to process vegetable oil from different kinds of oil seed such as linseed and rapeseed. In the early 1950s the Zaandijk municipality guaranteed the future of De Zoeker by buying the mill. By 1958 De Zoeker was again doing what it had done for three centuries, operating as an oil mill. World news: A decade later the mill made world news. In a spectacular operation it was moved from the Westzijderveld over a railway line and through the village to the other side of the River Zaan on the Zaanse Schans. Later that same year the mill was ready to resume work and the Zaandijk municipality handed over this unique monument to the Society of Zaan Mills.
Het Pink (The Yearling) - Oil Mill	Oil mill on the Pinkstraat in Koog aan de Zaan History: In 1939, a ministerial decree obliged Dutch city councils to inform the minister whenever a mill in their municipality was taken out of service. In the case of Het Pink the minister was extensively briefed on the restoration plans and future ideas for the mill which enabled the relatively newly formed Society to restore the mill to its former glory by not only providing the funds but also by using the combined skills and talents of its members. The restoration process was supervised by Pieter Boorsma the then curator and co-founder of the Society. By the end of 1939 the mill was looking as splendid as ever.

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