Grevensmolen

Grevensmolen is a former watermill standing on the Molenbeek stream in Gorsem, a district of Sint-Truiden in the Belgian province of Limburg, at Grevensmolenweg 138. From the outside it now looks more like a carefully restored farmhouse than an industrial monument, but its roots reach back to the Middle Ages and are closely tied to the nearby abbey.

Where does the mill's name come from?

The first written mention of a mill on this site dates back to 1255, when it belonged to the Abbey of Sint-Truiden — for centuries one of the region's largest landowners and economic powers. The name in use today, however, does not come from the monks but from a specific individual: Jean Greven, a miller who ran the operation for more than fifty years around the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries. His surname is the one that stuck. In later centuries ownership passed to the counts of Duras, a sign of the mill's standing as a valuable piece of property.

How did the mill operate over the centuries?

Grevensmolen was a grain mill driven by an undershot waterwheel — a wheel turned by water striking its blades below the axle, a common design for mills working on smaller streams such as the Molenbeek. At the close of the 19th century the traditional wheel was replaced by a turbine, a change that boosted milling capacity without requiring an entirely new structure.

Traces of later building work are still visible on the structure itself: a coat-of-arms shield bearing the date 1644 references the motto of Abbot Hubrecht van Sutendael, while wall anchors carry the date 1725, pointing to substantial construction work in that period. Another major renovation followed in 1868, with further alterations made as late as 1944 — the mill remained in near-continuous use across many centuries.

What happened to the mill in the 20th century?

As industrialization advanced and small watermills lost their economic relevance, the building was repurposed as a plain warehouse in 1963. Over the following decades it gradually fell into disrepair, until it was granted protected monument status in 1981. It was not until 2014 that the property was bought by Guy Nijssen-Lemmens, who carried out a careful restoration of the exterior buildings. The internal technical fittings — the milling mechanisms, gearing, and turbine — did not survive, however, and had already disappeared completely during earlier alterations.

Frequently asked questions

Does Grevensmolen still grind grain? No. Since 1963 the building has served purposes unrelated to milling, and its original technical equipment no longer exists.

Can visitors go inside the mill? The building is private property following its 2014 restoration; the interior is not part of any standard public visiting route.

Why is the mill called Grevensmolen? The name comes from miller Jean Greven, who operated the mill for more than fifty years around the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries.

What type of mill was it? Historically an undershot watermill used to grind grain, later fitted with a turbine in place of the original waterwheel.

Who owned the mill in the past? It originally belonged to the Abbey of Sint-Truiden and later passed into the hands of the counts of Duras.