Prinsenmolen

Prinsenmolen is a stone tower windmill of the bergmolen type standing in the village of Baaigem, part of the municipality of Gavere in East Flanders, Belgium. The name of the mill dates back to the sixteenth century and is tied to the family that once owned the site.

Where does the name come from?

The first mill on this spot was built in 1551 and belonged to the family of Lamoral van Egmont. Lamoral held the title of prince of Gavere, which is why the mill became known as "Prinsenmolen" – the prince's mill. At that time it was a wooden post mill, a construction mounted on a rotating central post that allowed the whole body of the mill, sails included, to be turned into the wind.

Turbulent beginnings

The mill's early history was far from peaceful. Around 1580 the building was destroyed, most likely by iconoclasts during the religious unrest that swept through the Low Countries at the time. It was not rebuilt until 1639, again as a post mill.

A banmolen and changes in ownership

During the eighteenth century, Prinsenmolen operated as a so-called banmolen, a communal grain mill to which local residents were obliged to bring their grain under the feudal rights held by the owner. A record from 1713 names Jan Piens as the miller working there. Toward the end of the eighteenth century, amid the upheavals that dismantled the old feudal order, the mill was sold off as national property, and in 1806 it was rebuilt once more as a post mill.

The nineteenth century and the switch to stone

In the middle of the nineteenth century a small chapel was added at the foot of the mill, along with a steam-powered mill that supplemented the windmill's work during calm weather. Toward the end of the nineteenth century the wooden structure was replaced by a stone bergmolen: a masonry tower topped with a rotating cap carrying the sails. This is the form that survives today and gives the mill its distinctive, solid silhouette.

The end of milling by wind and years of decline

The mill continued grinding grain by wind power until 1953, although an electric roller mill installed at its base had already been operating alongside it. In 1972 a storm tore off the sails, and the mill stood without them for years afterward, gradually falling into disrepair.

Restoration and the mill today

The last working miller, Oscar De Boever, had initially intended to have the building demolished. Instead, the mill was sold to a new owner, and restoration work began in 1975 under Walter Mariman of Zele, aiming to make the mill operational again. Over time the building was converted into a private residence while its historic tower was preserved. Plans have also surfaced for fitting a new rotor and sails, though the mill has not returned to productive use.

Frequently asked questions

Why is the mill called Prinsenmolen? The name comes from Lamoral van Egmont, owner of the first mill on this site, who held the title of prince of Gavere.

What type of mill is it? It is a stone tower windmill of the bergmolen type, with a rotating cap and sails at the top, built in the late nineteenth century on the site of earlier wooden post mills.

Is the mill still operating? No, it lost its sails in a storm in 1972. Since the 1970s it has undergone restoration and been converted into a residence.

Where is Prinsenmolen located? The mill stands in the village of Baaigem, in the municipality of Gavere, in the province of East Flanders, Belgium.