Nederland - Weesp, De Eendragt en De Vriendschap

In the past, there were as many as 25 industrial mills in Weesp, which was a prosperous industrial town for centuries. Three mills remain. Two of them, De Eendragt and De Vriendschap, are located together on the banks of the river Vecht.

In the 17th century, De Eendragt (left) was a malt mill used to break grain for the brandy distillers, an important industry in Weesp. After this, it became a mill grinding shells into fine powder and in 1815 it became a wood sawmill. When this function ceased in 1932, the mill fell into disrepair. After a restoration in the 1970s, the mill is working again.

Traditional flour mill De Vriendschap (right) was built here in 1900, on the site of a 17th-century corn mill that was burned down. Nowadays the mill grinds a couple of times a week, when there is sufficient wind. The flour is for sale in the mill shop.