Leyssensmolen, Lommel

Leyssensmolen is a wooden post mill standing today in Kattenbos, a wooded area within the municipality of Lommel in Belgian Limburg. It looks like a permanent fixture of this quiet forest landscape, but its story is one of repeated relocations, neighborly spite, and the persistence of several generations of millers.

Where the mill — and its name — came from

The mill was originally built in 1797 in Olmen. It wasn't built out of economic necessity but out of pure defiance: it was commissioned by the owner of a nearby water mill, the Straalmolen. During the French period, feudal rights and milling monopolies were abolished, and so-called "free mills" began appearing to compete with established operations. To assert dominance over this new competition, the Straalmolen's owner erected his own windmill as a show of force. That act of provocation earned the mill its enduring nickname: Treitermolen, roughly translated as "spite mill."

From the very start, the structure served a single purpose — grinding grain. The Straalmolen, and with it the new windmill, belonged to the Leyssen family, whose name the mill still carries today.

A journey across Lommel

The relocations began early. In 1804 the mill was sold, and between 1808 and 1809 it was dismantled and rebuilt at Frans van Hamstraat in Lommel — the first of several moves this structure would undergo.

The name Leyssensmolen became firmly attached to the mill between 1860 and 1905, the period during which the Leyssen family operated it. After 1905 ownership passed through several hands until 1960, when the municipality of Lommel acquired the mill. Local authorities decided on what would become its most significant move yet: to Kattenbos, where the windmill was formally inaugurated in 1964. Notably, at that point it stood without its internal milling mechanism — a purely decorative and historical structure rather than a working mill.

Back to work, and one last move

It wasn't until 1988 that the Caers brothers from nearby Retie restored the mill to full working order, rebuilding its grinding mechanism from scratch. From that point on, the Leyssensmolen could once again function as a genuine windmill rather than a mere replica shell.

The final chapter of its travels came in 2012. Trees around the mill had grown tall enough to block the wind needed to turn its sails effectively. The solution was practical: the entire mill was moved 400 meters to an open hilltop, where the wind reaches its sails unobstructed.

Frequently asked questions

Is this the original 18th-century mill? Yes — the structure dates from 1797, though it has been dismantled and rebuilt at several different locations over the centuries.

Why is it also called the Treitermolen? Because it was built as a spiteful response by the Straalmolen's owner to the rise of competing "free mills" after old milling privileges were abolished.

Does the mill still grind grain? Yes — its milling mechanism was restored to working order in 1988 by the Caers brothers from Retie.

Where exactly does it stand today? In Kattenbos near Lommel, on an open hill it was moved to in 2012 after surrounding trees began blocking the wind.