Windmolen, Zwijnaarde

Windmolen, Zwijnaarde is a historic windmill standing in Zwijnaarde, a locality that today forms part of the city of Ghent in Belgium. It remains one of the few surviving traces of a once-thriving local milling tradition, when windmills of different types worked side by side across the flat, open landscape of East Flanders.

What kind of mill is this, and where does it stand?

The mill is located along the old Heerweg-Noord road in Zwijnaarde, just south of Ghent's city centre. It is a brick-built mill of the "beltmolen" type — a windmill raised on an artificial, circular earthen mound (the "belt"), which lifts the structure high enough for its sails to catch the wind freely above surrounding buildings and trees. This construction method was especially common in low-lying regions that lacked natural hills to provide the necessary elevation.

What is the history behind it?

The stone mill in Zwijnaarde was built before 1818. It originally operated as an oil mill, pressing oil from oilseed crops — a common activity in the agricultural communities of Flanders at the time. Over the years, the mill also took on a second role, grinding grain into flour alongside its oil-pressing work. This combined operation continued until 1932, when its industrial use came to an end.

The brick mill was not the only windmill in the area. In the nearby district known as d'Eeckers, a wooden post mill (a rotating structure mounted on a central post) once stood as well. This wooden grain mill already existed in the 17th century — it appears on a map dating from 1683 — and remained part of the landscape for centuries before disappearing after 1941. For a long stretch of its history, Zwijnaarde could therefore boast two working windmills at once: the brick oil-and-grain mill and the wooden grain mill.

Is the mill still in operation today?

The brick windmill in Zwijnaarde no longer serves its original industrial purpose. Like many historic mills across Flanders, it now stands primarily as a piece of architectural heritage — a physical reminder of an era when wind power drove the local agricultural economy, from pressing oil to grinding flour for bread.

Why is this mill worth a visit?

For anyone interested in industrial history or rural Flemish architecture, the Zwijnaarde windmill offers a concrete, tangible example of what milling infrastructure looked like before the age of electricity. It helps visitors picture the countryside around Ghent two centuries ago, when the silhouettes of windmills — both brick and wooden — were a constant feature of the East Flanders skyline. It also makes a worthwhile stop for anyone exploring the outskirts of Ghent who wants to see more than just the city's historic centre.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is the Zwijnaarde windmill located? The mill stands along the old Heerweg-Noord road in Zwijnaarde, a district just south of Ghent's city centre, in the East Flanders region of Belgium.

What was the mill originally used for? It was built as an oil mill, pressing oil from oilseed crops. Later it also began grinding grain, a combined role it kept until operations stopped in 1932.

Was there only one windmill in Zwijnaarde? No — alongside the brick oil-and-grain mill, a wooden post mill once stood in the nearby d'Eeckers area. It is documented as early as a 1683 map and disappeared from the landscape after 1941.

What type of mill construction is this? It is a brick "beltmolen" — a mill built on an artificial circular earthen mound that raises its sails above the surrounding terrain.