Pietendriesmolen, Knesselare

Pietendriesmolen is a historic stake mill in Knesselare, in East Flanders, Belgium, close to the border with the neighboring Aalter districts of Ursel and Aalter. The mill is also known under several other names: Toatse Meuln (after the Taets family), Molen Ter Pieten (after the former Ter Pieten estate, today known as Blauwgoed), and Driesmolen (after the nearby hamlet). It is the oldest surviving stake mill in East Flanders, making it one of the most significant rural industrial monuments in the Meetjesland region.

How old is the mill's history?

The first written mention of a windmill on this site dates back to 1563, when it appears in a feudal registry as the successor to the earlier Oostmolen, a water mill that had operated on the Durme river near neighboring Aalter. This means the tradition of grinding grain at this location stretches back more than four and a half centuries, even though the wooden stake-mill structure itself was rebuilt and repaired many times over the years, as was typical for this type of mill.

Who owned the mill over the centuries?

For much of its history, the mill belonged to local feudal lords and remained outside private hands. That changed on September 17, 1880, when the then-unnamed mill was sold to Petrus Taets, marking its first transfer into private ownership. It is from the Taets family name that one of the mill's popular nicknames, Toatse Meuln, derives. After the death of Petrus's widow, their son Henri Taets took over as miller-owner, a role he held until his own death in 1965. The Taets family was tied to the mill for nearly a century, making them a central part of its story.

What happened to the mill after its last owner died?

Following Henri Taets's death in 1965, the mill went without an owner-operator for some time and gradually fell into disrepair — a fate shared by many historic windmills across Europe as traditional wind-powered milling declined in the second half of the twentieth century. The turning point came in 1974, when the municipality of Knesselare purchased the deteriorating structure, saving it from demolition or further decay.

What did the restoration involve?

A year after the municipal purchase, in 1975, the decision was made to proceed with a full restoration. Actual restoration work, however, only began in 1979, when Walter Mariman, an experienced millwright from Zele — a town with a strong milling tradition in Belgium — took on the dilapidated structure. The restoration was a demanding undertaking, requiring the wooden stake framework, the milling mechanism, and the sails to be rebuilt while preserving as many original elements as possible. The work was completed successfully in 1983, when the mill was once again ready for operation after nearly two decades of standstill.

Is the mill still operating today?

Yes — since 2009, the Pietendriesmolen has been back in regular operation, grinding grain much as it did centuries ago. This makes it not just an architectural monument but a living piece of heritage that visitors can see in motion during open days and local milling events. Visitors to the Meetjesland region can observe the mill's characteristic stake-mill construction, in which the entire body of the mill rotates around a central post so the sails can be turned to face the wind — a technique typical of Europe's oldest windmills.

Why is Pietendriesmolen worth visiting?

The Pietendriesmolen brings together several layers of history: medieval roots dating back to the sixteenth century, the Taets family's nearly hundred-year private stewardship, a period of dramatic neglect in the mid-twentieth century, and a successful restoration that brought the mill back to life. For anyone interested in industrial heritage and the rural history of Flanders, the site illustrates how a local community and municipal authorities can work together to rescue a piece of heritage from disappearing. As the oldest stake mill in East Flanders, it remains an important stop on the region's windmill trail through Meetjesland.