1/2 Geert van Stekelenburg in front of his 500 year old windmill in Asten (Photo: Alice van der Plas)
Frans Tullemans has been the miller of windmill ‘t Nupke in Geldrop for thirty years. But if the construction of a fifteen-metre-high flat at his mill goes ahead, he will have a difficult decision to make. Then his long miller’s existence at the 180-year-old mill may come to an end. Because of the new construction, the wind around the mill changes. And then it doesn’t work well anymore.
This has to do with how the wind moves around the buildings in the area. “I understand that houses have to be built,” says Frans. “But there are plenty of other places to build in Geldrop.”
His mill is not the only one to suffer from a changing environment and therefore ‘bad wind’. The environment of many windmills is under pressure. Due to new construction projects or encroaching greenery, 49 of the 126 windmills in our province have a bad environment, according to a report by the Molenstichting Noord-Brabant. The wind around the mill is sometimes too little or too much and often too gusty.
“If the mill cannot run properly, it will be lost.”
The 500-year-old post windmill Oostenwind in Asten is also struggling with bad wind. A large industrial hall nearby is being expanded. The building will be 12 meters high. “The municipality of Asten is willing to do a lot for the mill. They pay for the restorations. But when I start talking about windage, they switch off,” says miller Geert van Stekelenburg.
Many windmills in the Netherlands are monuments and are protected. As far as Geert is concerned, the area around the mill is also part of this. “It is not unwillingness, but the municipality does not realize the importance of a good environment for the mill. That is also part of the monument. If the mill cannot run properly, it will be lost.”
The problem is therefore somewhat invisible. The windmills in Geldrop and Asten seem to be free standing. Nevertheless, the wind that eventually reaches the mill is not good enough. And grinding flour becomes a nightmare. “The quality is therefore very variable,” says Frans. “You also have to constantly adjust the mill and that is almost impossible to do.”
“A post mill can’t handle these gusts of wind.”
The gusty wind is disastrous for Geert’s mill. Partly because of this, the mill has had to undergo three restorations in thirty years. “A post mill is vulnerable, it cannot handle these gusts of wind.”
Whether an electric motor in the mill is not a solution. According to Frans and Geert, it was suggested by the municipality. And they both almost had a roll stroke. “The municipality wants to turn it into a kind of garden gnome, a tourist object. But this is a tool,” says Frans. “This comes very close to the word culture barbarian,” says Geert.
He can’t bear the thought of having to close his family mill. His grandfather started grinding in 1894. The mill fell over twice and caught fire once. “This mill has been through a lot. I have an emotional bond with it,” says Geert. “I also see the mill as a monument to Asten.”
Miller Geert van Stekelenburg has gone to court to stop the high-rise building around his mill. He lost. He is now waiting for the Council of State. The millers of ‘t Nupke were also there last week. They had won their first lawsuit before the court in Den Bosch. “That gives hope,” says Geert.