Grenzicht or Molen van Geerdink'is a smock mill

Smock mill

The smock mill is a type of windmill that consists of a sloping, horizontally weatherboarded tower, usually with six or eight sides. It is topped with a roof or cap that rotates to bring the sails into the wind...

 in Emmer-Compascuum

Emmer-Compascuum

Emmer-Compascuum is a village in the Netherlands and it is part of the Emmen municipality in Drenthe. Emmer-Compascuum has an elevation of 12 meters and a population of about 8,000.-External links:*...

, in Drenthe

Drenthe

Drenthe is a province of the Netherlands, located in the north-east of the country. The capital city is Assen. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and Germany to the east.-History:Drenthe, unlike many other parts of the Netherlands, has been a...

 province of the Netherlands

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

. It was built in 1907. The mill is listed as a Rijksmonument

Rijksmonument

A rijksmonument is a National Heritage Site of the Netherlands, listed by the agency Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed acting for the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.-History and criteria:...

, number 14690.

History

Grenzicht was built in 1907 by millwright

Millwright

A millwright is a craftsman or tradesman engaged with the construction and maintenance of machinery.Early millwrights were specialist carpenters who erected machines used in agriculture, food processing and processing lumber and paper...

 J H Schulte of Ter Apel

Ter Apel

Ter Apel is a town in the municipality Vlagtwedde in the northern Netherlands, in the province Groningen in the region Westerwolde. The town lies on the stream Ruiten Aa, which has the valley that together with the Ter Apeler forest belongs to the national network of nature reserves, the...

, Groningen

Groningen (province)

Groningen [] is the northeasternmost province of the Netherlands. In the east it borders the German state of Niedersachsen , in the south Drenthe, in the west Friesland and in the north the Wadden Sea...

. It had previously stood at Oude Pekela

Oude Pekela

Oude Pekela is a village in the Dutch province of Groningen. It is located in the municipality of Pekela, about 5 km southwest of Winschoten.Oude Pekela was a separate municipality until 1990, when it merged with Nieuwe Pekela....

, Groningen where it had been used as a drainage windmill. A steam engine was used as auxiliary power. It was replaced by a 22 hp oil engine. This was replaced in 1941 by a 25 hp electric motor. A pair of sails was lost in 1936, and the other pair in 1947. The mill ceased work in 1967. In the winter of 1974-75, the mill was restored by millwright Molema of Scheemda

Scheemda

Scheemda is a former municipality and a town in the northeastern Netherlands. Since January 1, 2010 it forms a part of Oldambt.- Population centres :Heiligerlee, Midwolda, Nieuw-Scheemda, Nieuwolda, Oostwold, Scheemda, 't Waar and Westerlee....

, Groningen. New sails and a new windshaft were fitted, and the mill was re-thatched. The original wooden windshaft was kept as a museum piece. On completion of the restoration, the mill was named "Grenzicht" as it stands close to the Dutch - German border. In 2002, a museum was opened as part of the mill.

Description

Grenzicht is what the Dutch describe as an "achtkante stellingmolen" - a smock mill with a stage. The mill has a four storey base with a three storey smock. The stage is at third floor level and is 8.15 metre above ground level. The smock and cap are thatched. The cap is winded by a tailpole and winch. The four Common sails, which span 18.8 metre are carried on a cast iron windshaft. This was cast in 1928 by millwright H J Koning. The windshaft also carries the brake wheel which has 69 cogs. This drives the wallower (29 cogs) at the top of the upright shaft. At the bottom end of the upright shaft the great spur wheel (81 cogs) drives two lantern pinion stone nuts, of 23 and 26 staves. Each stone nut drives a pair of 1.4 metre Cullen millstones.