Boembekemolen

The Boembekemolen is a watermill in the Zwalm valley in the Belgian village of Michelbeke (Brakel) on the border with Sint-Goriks-Oudenhove (Zottegem). The mill is located almost at the intersection of the Zwalm and the Mijnwerkerspad. The name Boembekemolen comes from the miller family Boembeke (maeler mathijs van der boenbeke(n)) that was already active here in 1396.
In 1544, the mill is first mentioned as the property of Count Lamoraal van Egmont, who leased the eight-mud mill to a certain Jan vanden Broeck. Only in the aftermath of the French Revolution did the Boembekemolen, like so many other ecclesiastical and noble properties, come into private ownership. In the second half of the 19th century, the Boembekemolen gradually lost its late medieval appearance. Wooden parts were replaced by cast iron and the buildings themselves were considerably expanded. Around 1900, the industrial era began with the installation of a steam engine, which was later replaced by the still existing diesel engine.
The mill has been out of service since 1967, when the miller Leon De Poorter died during a farmers' demonstration in Oudenaarde, his son Cristian De Poortere took over. Shortly afterwards, the watermill fell into disrepair. Today the mill is owned by Natuurpunt. The non-profit organization Boembeke was established for the restoration of the mill. He has made the mill ready to grind again and converted it into a visitor area of the Middenloop Zwalm nature reserve with a cafeteria and the exhibition "Sporen in de Tijd" about the Mijnwerkerspad.
nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boembekemolen