Molen de Gooyer and brewery 't IJ in Amsterdam. by Don Fonzarelli

About "Molen de Gooyer and brewery 't IJ in Amsterdam."

by Don Fonzarelli

About the artwork

Mill de Gooyer and brewery 't IJ in Amsterdam.
Enclosed between the Zeeburgerstraat and the Funenkade in Amsterdam Oost, mill de Gooyer still stands proudly.
This mill is the last remaining example of a large group of corn mills that stood on the ramparts of the Buitensingelgracht between the 17th century and the end of the 19th century. Around 1900 the last mills, except for the Gooyer, were demolished. The location of the mills was very favourable for that time. Located at the edge of the city, they caught enough wind.

The original windmill already exists in the 16th century. After destruction and some relocations the mill was rebuilt in 1725 on the spot of the current Oranje-Nassau Barracks. Finally, the mill was moved again in 1814 and rebuilt on the stone base of a water mill demolished in 1812 on the Funenkade.

After the mill fell into disrepair, it was bought and restored by the city of Amsterdam for 3200 guilders in 1928. During this restoration, the mill was fitted with more efficient, telescopic sails. Due to the lack of electricity during the Second World War, the windmill served as a corn mill for private individuals in Amsterdam. On 13 November 1972, the covered sails turned out to be so storm-prone that they started to rotate and the windmill went wild. The topshaft broke and the sails ended up in the nearby Nieuwe Vaart canal. Only years later, when a new windshaft was specially cast at the nearby Stork factory, the original, old-Dutch type of sails wer