The Pale Death

De Bleeke Dood is one of the two remaining flour mills in the Zaan region. The Mill is located on the Zaan opposite the Zaanse Schans. The mill in Zaandijk is also the oldest still existing wooden scaffolding mill in the Netherlands. The mill was built in 1656 and had been in operation on wind power until 1931. In the meantime, the mill almost lost out in 1922 to a heavy tyre. I 1931 the blade cross was removed and the engine was ground feathered. A few years later, the tailwork and the scaffolding also disappeared. In 1955, however, under the new owner the Vereniging de Zaansche Molen the mill was restored and put back into operation on wind power. After a restoration in 2000, the mill is fully operational again and flour is milled every Friday that is sold downstairs in the store. The miller is also a millwright and lives under the mill in the mill in the house that is partly in the mill and partly in an extension.

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