Nederland – Laren, De Korenmolen

Knowing Laren as the place where rich and wealthy people live and as a village with imposing villas and mansions, I did not expect a windmill here. But surrounded by buildings and vegetation, I found this flourmill on a bicycle trip through the Gooi region.

To this day, it is not absolutely clear when a windmill was first built in Laren. Compared to the surrounding places, Laren was granted the construction of its own mill relatively late, undoubtedly due to the fact that such a little village couldn´t provide enough work for a miller.

A deed dated May 14th, 1704, shows that in Laren buckwheat was being husked a crudely ground as early as the beginning of the 18th century. It has to be assumed, however, that this was not done in a windmill but in a treadmill being operated with the help of horses or oxen.

The first reference to De Korenmolen in Laren (Laren windmill) in today´s state can be found in a document dated 20th November, 1747, in which Jan Roel Calis is specifically described as a corn miller in the village of Laren. The present mill was built in 1773, and may have been a displaced polder mill.

During the 20th century the mill had a couple of restorations. Nowadays both wind-powered and electric grinding still take place. In the adjacent shop - still run by the Calis family - flour is sold that has been milled in De Larense Molen.