watermill of Loonbeek

Clock 21 November 2013
Flemish Minister Geert Bourgeois, responsible for Immovable Heritage, awards a premium of 154,854.13 euros for the first of three restoration phases of the Watermill of Loonbeek, Huldenberg. The watermill, together with the barn and its surroundings, has been on the list of protected monuments since 1994. After the complete restoration project, the mill will be opened to the public.

"During this first restoration phase, the roofs of the barn building and the mill building will be tackled," says Minister Bourgeois. "The roofs are in very poor condition: roof tiles are missing and the beams that remain are rotting. Urgent restoration work is necessary to avoid further damage to the interior. In later phases, the facades and the grinding of the water mill will follow. The intention is to make this unique piece of heritage accessible to the public."

The mill building is built in brick with a natural stone plinth. It has two floors and an attic and consists of two parts: the actual mill on the river side and, by extension, the former miller's house. In the façade of the mill, facing the street, there is a round stone, in which the coat of arms of the Van der Vorst family is chiseled. The lordship of Loonbeek (including the mill) was in the possession of Jan van der Vorst in 1500. It remained the property of his descendants until 1811.

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