The Scherpenberg mill, located in Westmalle

Westmalle

Westmalle is a village which is located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The village itself is part of the municipality of Malle.-Tourism:...

, Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

, is a tower mill

Tower mill

A tower mill is a type of windmill which consists of a brick or stone tower, on top of which sits a roof or cap which can be turned to bring the sails into the wind....

 that was built in 1843 to grind grain into flour

Gristmill

The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...

. It is currently owned and operated by the municipal authorities of Malle

Malle

Malle is a municipality located in the Campine region of the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of Oostmalle and Westmalle. On 1 January 2006 Malle had a total population of 14,083...

, the only hours of operation being Sunday from 1:30 P.M. until 5:00 P.M.

History

The mill was built in 1843 by Joannes and Petrus Mullenbrück (alternately found as Meulenbroeck). The Mullenbrücks were the sons of Christianus Mullenbrück, who had come from Westphalia

Westphalia

Westphalia is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Arnsberg, Bielefeld, Dortmund, Minden and Münster.Westphalia is roughly the region between the rivers Rhine and Weser, located north and south of the Ruhr River. No exact definition of borders can be given, because the name "Westphalia"...

 to Westmalle

Westmalle

Westmalle is a village which is located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The village itself is part of the municipality of Malle.-Tourism:...

 in 1808. Joannes became a miller in Westmalle, and his brother Petrus moved to Ossendrecht

Woensdrecht

Woensdrecht is a municipality and a town in the southern Netherlands.Woensdrecht is mainly known for Woensdrecht Air Base. In 1983 it was decided that the US would station 48 nuclear armed cruise missiles here, unless the USSR would reduce the number of SS-20 missiles to 378. Since the number was...

 in 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...

where he also worked as a miller.

The mill was in use until 1961, when it became obsolete. The municipality of Westmalle subsequently purchased the mill in 1962, when Jozef Caers began the first restoration work. After several years or restoration, the mill again became operational in 1985. In 2003, major maintenance work was carried out.

Owners and millers

The owners of the mill are as follows:

• Christianus Mullenbrück-Aerts (1843-1853)
• Joannes Mullenbrück-Nicolay (1853-1881)
• Franciscus Stevens-Mullenbrück (1881-1891)
• Franciscus Janssens-Geerts (1891-1930)
• Gustaaf Janssens-Van de Mierop, and his widow (1930-1954)
• Magdalena and Laura Huyskens-Janssens (1956-1962)
• Municipal authorities of Westmalle (1962-1977)
• Municipal authorities of Malle (as of 1977)

The millers are as follows, please note that some owners also acted as miller:

• Joannes Mullenbrück-Nicolay (1843-1881)
• Franciscus Stevens-Mullenbrück (1881-1891)
• Jan Verschueren (1891-1927)
• Frans Boekx (1927-1954)
• Jozef Boekx (1954-1962)
• Municipal authorities of Westmalle (1962-1977)
• Municipal authorities of Malle (as of 1977)