Vereniging De Hollandsche Molen
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Vereniging De Hollandsche Molen () ( is a Dutch organization founded in 1923 to preserve
windmill A windmill is a machine operated by the force of wind acting on vanes or sails to mill grain (gristmills), pump water, generate electricity, or drive other machinery. Windmills were used throughout the high medieval and early modern period ...
s in the Netherlands, to document them, and to restore them. Financial support comes from members and from grants by organizations such as the (a Dutch lottery). Their website provides access to a database which documents some 1400 mills in the Netherlands; "Het Nederlands Molenbestand" is authoritative on the topic. The organization is often given credit for organizing a powerful and effective lobby aimed at procuring money from Dutch government institutions to fund restoration projects. Its former president Frederik Stokhuyzen was one of the foremost scholars on Dutch windmills; a recently revised edition of his 1961 book ''Molens'' is still the standard book on the topic. In 1981,
Prince Claus of the Netherlands Prince Claus of the Netherlands, Jonkheer van Amsberg (born Klaus-Georg Wilhelm Otto Friedrich Gerd von Amsberg; 6 September 1926 – 6 October 2002) was Prince consort of the Netherlands, Prince of the Netherlands from 30 April 1980 until his d ...
became the organization's patron, and attended ten ceremonies at which windmills were reopened; at his death in 2002 the 12 windmills owned and operated by the organization had their
sails A sail is a tensile structure, which is made from fabric or other membrane materials, that uses wind power to propel sailing craft, including sailing ships, sailboats, windsurfers, ice boats, and even sail-powered land vehicles. Sails may b ...
set in the "mourning position," with the lowest sail fixed and set slightly to the right. His son,
Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau (; 25 September 1968 – 12 August 2013) was the second son of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and Claus von Amsberg, and younger brother of King Willem-Alexander. Friso was a member of the Dutch Royal Family, but ...
, became the next patron. In August 2014 former queen
Beatrix of the Netherlands Beatrix (Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard, ; born 31 January 1938) is a member of the Dutch royal house who reigned as List of monarchs of the Netherlands, Queen of the Netherlands from 30 April 1980 until her abdication in 2013. Beatrix was born ...
took over as patron from her son.


References

{{Dutch Windmills Organisations based in Amsterdam Organizations established in 1923 1923 establishments in the Netherlands Windmills in the Netherlands