Blauwe Molen

Blauwe Molen is a wooden windmill standing at the intersection of Pilkemstraat and Molenstraat in Bikschote, a village that today belongs to the municipality of Langemark-Poelkapelle in West Flanders. The site's history stretches back to the 17th century and includes two full rebuilds following fire and wartime destruction, which means the mill visible today is already the third structure to occupy this exact spot.

Where did the mill's story begin?

The first windmill on this site was built in 1635 at the order of the feudal lords of Bikschote, the de Coucy family. From the outset it served as a grain mill, processing crops for the farms scattered across the surrounding West Flemish countryside. The name "Blauwe Molen" (Blue Mill) has stayed attached to the site for a long time, though sources don't spell out exactly how it originated — in Flanders, colors were often a practical way of telling neighboring windmills apart.

Why did the mill have to be rebuilt twice?

The original structure burned down in 1830, most likely after being struck by lightning — a common fate for wooden windmills standing alone in open countryside with no natural protection from storms. It was rebuilt that same year, and the second mill lasted for nearly a century. It fell victim, however, to the First World War: in 1915 it was destroyed amid the fighting around Ypres, which sat at the very heart of the Western Front.

How was the current windmill built?

The third and current Blauwe Molen was erected in 1922, during the postwar reconstruction of West Flanders. Notably, it wasn't built from scratch: it was assembled from parts of two other windmills, the Leenhoudersmolen from Roesbrugge and the Blanckaertmolen from Leisele. This kind of "recycled" rebuilding was practical at the time — with so many windmills in the region destroyed by the war, salvaging working mechanisms and timber structures from other mills allowed communities to get functioning mills back into operation faster.

What can visitors see on site today?

Blauwe Molen is a standard mill (standerdmolen) with an enclosed base, and it still functions as a grain mill. It stands on a traditional milling strip, right at the crossing of Pilkemstraat and Molenstraat. Around the windmill itself sits a larger complex of buildings: a residential house, an adjoining mill house, and a cross-shaped barn. All of these date from the 1920s and belong to the same postwar reconstruction of the front-line region as the mill itself.

Frequently asked questions

Is Blauwe Molen still operational? The site has retained its historical function as a grain mill and forms part of a larger, architecturally consistent complex of buildings dating from the 1920s.

How many times has this windmill been rebuilt? The current structure is already the third mill on this spot — the first, from 1635, burned down in 1830 and was rebuilt immediately, and its successor was destroyed in 1915 during the First World War.

What was the current mill built from? The 1922 windmill was assembled from parts of two other regional mills — the Leenhoudersmolen from Roesbrugge and the Blanckaertmolen from Leisele.

Where exactly does Blauwe Molen stand? At the intersection of Pilkemstraat and Molenstraat in Bikschote, a village belonging to the municipality of Langemark-Poelkapelle in the province of West Flanders.