De Pankoekstermolen is a smock mill in Witmarsum, Friesland,

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

which was built in 1900. It has been restored to working order and is designated as being in reserve. It is listed as a

Rijksmonument A (, ) is a national heritage site of the Netherlands, listed by the agency Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed (RCE) acting for the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. At the end of February 2015, the Netherlands had 61,822 l ...

History

''De Pankoekstermolen'' was built in 1900 to drain the Oosthemmerpolder. It replaced a mill built in 1817 that was struck by

lightning Lightning is a natural phenomenon consisting of electrostatic discharges occurring through the atmosphere between two electrically charged regions. One or both regions are within the atmosphere, with the second region sometimes occurring on ...

and burned down in 1899. ''De Pankoekstermolen'' was built by

millwright A millwright is a craftsman or skilled tradesman who installs, dismantles, maintains, repairs, reassembles, and moves machinery in factories, power plants, and construction sites. The term ''millwright'' (also known as ''industrial mechanic'') ...

J H Westra of

Franeker Franeker (; ) is one of the eleven historical City rights in the Low Countries, cities of Friesland and capital of the municipality of Waadhoeke. It is located north of the Van Harinxmakanaal and about west of Leeuwarden. As of 2023, it had 13,0 ...

, Friesland. A

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after the German engineer Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which Combustion, ignition of diesel fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to Mechanics, mechanical Compr ...

was installed in the mill in 1967. Until 1975, the mill was fitted with

Patent sails Windmills are powered by their sails. Sails are found in different forms, from primitive common sails to the advanced patent sails. Jib sails The jib sail is found in Mediterranean countries and consists of a simple triangle of cloth wound r ...

. Construction of a new pumping station in 1976 made the mill redundant; the diesel engine was then removed. A restoration of the mill was carried out by millwright Westra of Franeker in 1975-76. On 21 June 1977, ''De Pankoekstermolen'' was sold to

Stichting De Fryske Mole The Stichting De Fryske Mole (; ; ) is a foundation for the preservation of windmills in the Dutch province Friesland, owning 42 of the 124 windmills in Friesland and closely co-operating with the Gild Fryske Mounders with which it publishes a q ...

, the 15th mill bought by that organisation. In 2006, the mill was officially designated as being held in reserve. A new restoration was begun in 2014. It is listed as a Rijksmonument, №39438.

Description

''De Pankoekstermolen'' is what the Dutch describe as a ''Grondzeiler''. It is a two storey smock mill on a single storey base. There is no stage, the sails reaching almost to ground level. The mill is winded by tailpole and winch. The smock and cap are

thatch Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw, Phragmites, water reed, Cyperaceae, sedge (''Cladium mariscus''), Juncus, rushes, Calluna, heather, or palm branches, layering the vegetation so as to shed water away fr ...

ed. The sails are

Common sails Windmills are powered by their sails. Sails are found in different forms, from primitive common sails to the advanced patent sails. Jib sails The jib sail is found in Mediterranean countries and consists of a simple triangle of cloth wound r ...

. They have a span of . The sails are carried on a

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content of more than 2% and silicon content around 1–3%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloying elements determine the form in which its car ...

''windshaft'', which was cast by Gietijzerij De Prins van Oranje,

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

South Holland South Holland ( ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.8 million as of January 2023 and a population density of about , making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely populated areas. ...

. The ''windshaft'' carries the ''brake wheel'' which has 55 cogs. This drives the ''wallower'' (29 cogs) at the top of the ''upright shaft''. At the bottom of the ''upright shaft'' there are two ''crown wheels'' The upper ''crown wheel'', which has 39 cogs, drives an

Archimedes' screw The Archimedes' screw, also known as the Archimedean screw, hydrodynamic screw, water screw or Egyptian screw, is one of the earliest documented hydraulic machines. It was so-named after the Greek mathematician Archimedes who first described it ...

via a ''crown wheel''. The lower ''crown wheel'', which has 35 cogs is carried on the axle of an Archimedes' screw, which is used to drain the polder. The axle of the screw is diameter and long. The screw is diameter. It is inclined at 21°. Each revolution of the screw lifts of water.

Public access

''De Pankoekstermolen'' is open whenever it is working, or by appointment.

References

{{Dutch Windmills Windmills in Friesland Windmills completed in 1900 Smock mills in the Netherlands Windpumps in the Netherlands Agricultural buildings in the Netherlands Rijksmonuments in Friesland Octagonal buildings in the Netherlands