Topmolen

Topmolen is a historic water mill in Balen, in the Belgian province of Antwerp, standing on Topmolenstraat near the village of Kerkhoven. It sits on the Zweilingsloop (also known as the Maalbeek), an artificial tributary of the Grote Nete river, within the De Vennen nature area.

Who built the mill, and when?

The mill was built by Carolus Hubertus Vanderwegen, born on November 9, 1801 in Balen, who worked as a miller in the nearby town of Bree. He bought the land for the project on October 14, 1848 from Arnold Hesemans-Van Kerckhoven, a farmer from Balen. His first application to build a water mill, submitted in 1848, was rejected. Only after a renewed attempt did the provincial council of Antwerp grant him authorization on January 25, 1850, subject to a number of conditions.

What makes this mill unusual?

The Zweilingsloop is an artificial waterway roughly 1200 meters long, engineered to create a drop of three meters. That drop was enough to power an overshot mill — the only one of its kind in the entire province of Antwerp. In this design, water is directed to the top of the wheel, which then turns forward under the weight of the falling water. The wheel itself is metal, fitted with wooden rims and iron buckets. To achieve the necessary three-meter drop, Vanderwegen and his sons dug an additional 900-meter channel across the Asheide.

What was the background behind building the mill?

Construction of the mill was part of a larger reclamation effort covering the Schoorheide, an area stretching between Balen and Kerkhoven. The goal was to boost agriculture and grain cultivation on land that had until then consisted mostly of heather, broom, ferns, and pine trees interspersed with marshland. The mill itself was intended to grind grain for the surrounding farms.

What happened to the mill after its founder's death?

When Carolus Vanderwegen died in 1879, his son Petrus Vanderwegen took over operation of the mill. In 1925, the property was sold at public auction to Edmond Hens, who introduced several technical improvements, including electric lighting and a new iron shaft and drive wheel. Under his ownership, the mill ran daily right up until 1958.

What became of the mill in later decades?

From 1958 onward, the mill was no longer in daily use, and in 1971 it was permanently shut down for economic reasons. In the early 1990s, the mill underwent a partial restoration and was brought back into working condition. In 1993, Topmolen was granted protected monument status, formally recognizing its historical and technical value to the region.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is Topmolen located? The mill stands on Topmolenstraat in Balen, in the province of Antwerp, within the De Vennen nature area near the village of Kerkhoven.

What type of mill is it? It is an overshot water mill, where water strikes the wheel from above — the only mill of this type in the province of Antwerp.

When was the mill built? Building permission was granted on January 25, 1850, to Carolus Hubertus Vanderwegen.

Is the mill still operating today? After daily operation ended in 1958 and the mill was fully shut down in 1971, it underwent partial restoration in the early 1990s and has held protected monument status since 1993.