Thrush mill

The wooden windmill is a stake mill. It first stood on the Lijsterhoek in Beernem, where the name "Lijstermolen" comes from. The mill was founded around 1801-1805, and remained in the possession of the Van Haecke family, the family of the original builder, until 1957. The mill was active until 1947.
In 1955, the "Provincial Committee for Monuments and Sites of West Flanders" wrote to the municipal authorities of the province of West Flanders for the purchase of the mill. Mayor Emiel Hardeman of Westouter responded and in 1957 the municipality bought the mill for 20,000 Belgian francs. From 1958-1960 the construction of the mill in Westouter was done in the traditional way. On July 21, 1961, the feast day of Saint Victor, the patron saint of millers, the mill was inaugurated. Although the mill was running at that inauguration, it was never effectively put into operation.
Already in 1984 it was noticed that the tail had already been warped, so that the mill could no longer be used. Nevertheless, after a storm on January 25, 1990, the mill cupboard was turned, so that the wind blew full blow on the back of the escape. The mill could be turned and saved, and later that year some renovation work was carried out. Finally, on 2004, the mill was protected as a monument [1], and also protected together with the surrounding area as a village view.

Windekind