Molen De Rietvink

The De Rietvink windmill is the first windmill built on the Grote Veenpolder. The mill was built in 1855. In 1921 an American wind motor was installed in the mill to keep the Veenpolder dry. The mill had different owners over the centuries until the mill finally fell out of operation in 1964. The mill was sold to an owner who furnished De Rietvink as a holiday home. By 2005 the mill had become very dilapidated due to a lack of maintenance and movement. A 2008 saw a better time at the mill when the mill was sold to new owners. They started extensive restorations as soon as possible with the help of mill makers and all kinds of volunteers. The mill was completely renovated and the environment was also cleaned up by pruning trees and shrubs. In 2010 the mill was finally up and running again after 16 years of inactivity. The mill has been running regularly ever since.