Nederland - Haarlem, De Adriaan

In 1778 the Amsterdam businessman Adriaan de Boois bought an old defense tower in the city of Haarlem. He received permission to build a windmill on top of the old Goê Vrouw tower. As a result, the blades of windmill De Adriaan rise high above the river Spaarne and catch every breeze possible. Due to its location the mill is a remarkable urban landmark.

On 19 May 1779 the Adriaan smock mill was put into use. For years De Adriaan crushed tuff - a sort of volcanic stone - into trass; a special additive added to mortar to make walls waterproof. It also milled seashells and oak bark.

In 1802 the windmill was sold to a tobacco merchant. At that time taking tobacco snuff was very popular. The mill was given new machinery, and tobacco rolls were processed into snuff powder for decades. In 1865 the mill changed ownership and function again. De Adriaan was converted into a flour mill and millstones were installed. But in early 1932 the last owner stopped milling, as it was no longer profitable to mill flour.

April 1932 De Adriaan was completely destroyed by a devastating fire. Although the inhabitants of Haarlem immediately organised a fundraising campaign for a new windmill it took 70 years that the city got its windmill back. Since 2003 windmill De Adriaan houses a mill museum and is also a weddig and meeting location. When the weather permits, the mill turns and visitors can see it in operation.