De Kat, Zaandam

Last updated

De Kat in 2007 Windmill De Kat.jpg
De Kat in 2007
Dyes made at De Kat 2019-11-22 Some of the dyes made at De Kat.jpg
Dyes made at De Kat

De Kat is the only remaining working windmill in the world which produces paint. [1] [2] The mill is in the Zaanse Schans, Zaanstad. [3] [4] De Kat is an octagonal smock mill. [5] Robbert Kempenaar has been the head miller of De Kat since 2007. [6]

Contents

The original 'De Kat' mill was built in 1646 as an oil mill. In 1781, it was destroyed by fire, but was rebuilt by 1782. The mill was in use until 1904 and was then partially demolished. [5] [7]

In 1960, the eight-sided paint mill 'De Duinjager' was removed from its former position due to urban development and placed on top of the old 'De Kat' storehouse. [7] The mill again grinds raw materials, including minerals and chalk, to make pigments for paints traditionally. [4] The mill is owned by the Vereniging De Zaansche Molen  [ nl ]. [8]

The mill, open to the public, receives 130,000 visitors annually, making it the most visited windmill in the Netherlands. [7] [9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ de Rooi, Martijn (2014). The Dutch, I presume?: Icons of the Netherlands. Alphen aan den Rijn: Dutch Publishers. p. 49. ISBN   9789076214177.
  2. ↑ Harris, Joanne (1999). "Having an Amsterdam Good Time". American Visions. Retrieved 6 April 2025– via EBSCOhost.
  3. ↑ "Map". Zaanse Schans. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  4. 1 2 "Verfmolen De Kat". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  5. 1 2 "Verfmolen de Kat". Verfmolen de Kat. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  6. ↑ "Robbert Kempenaar". De Zaansche molen (in Dutch). Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Paint Mill The Cat". Zaanse Schans. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  8. ↑ Veenman, Resi (17 August 2018). "De Kat". De Zaansche molen. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  9. ↑ "Practical information". Verfmolen de Kat. Retrieved 7 April 2025.

52°28′30″N4°49′04″E / 52.4750°N 4.8178°E / 52.4750; 4.8178

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.