The Kruisstraatmolen, a 3-lofted post mill (one of the few of its kind in Belgium), also known as "Berghe's mill", is the most recent of the 3 windmills that once stood in Werken.
In 1876, baker Bruno Spyckynck built a post grain mill "au hameau Kruysstraet" along the Steenstraat. It was not a new mill, but a mill originating from
Roeselare.
As early as 1882, it was moved 30 metres south-east, away from the Steenstraat, to its current location on a rather low mill hill.
During WWI, the mill remained intact until the final offensive (Sept-Oct 1918), when it was destroyed. In 1921 it was replaced by a 3-loft post mill from 1773 that stood in the
hamlet of Sneppe in Torhout.
During WWII, in 1944, the Kruisstraatmolen was protected as a monument.
In 1948, at the request of the last professional miller André Vandenberghe (1914-1979), the mill was the first mill in Belgium to be equipped with jibs to replace ordinary
wind boards. Jibs, with jibs or flaps automatically controlled by the rotation speed, were an invention of the Dutch engineer P.L. Fauël with the advantages: great tractive force, regular running, no tendency to hollow and fixed position of the mill sail. André Vandenberghe, who came from a real family of millers, kept the mill in operation until 1976.
In 1989, the dilapidated Kruisstraatmolen was purchased by the municipality of Kortemark at the last minute from the widow Vandenberghe-Trio. After all, the city of Bruges had already taken an option to buy it and place it on the ramparts of Bruges.
In 1992, the mill was restored. It was decided not to reinstall the maintenance-intensive forewings, but to opt for the traditional wind boards again. After a good 15 years of inactivity, Werkenzijn had a working mill again.
Since 1992, the voluntary certified master millers of the Wullepitmolen vzw have been working with the Kruisstraatmolen at least once a month.
Due to the gentle restoration of 1992, the mill is still quite authentic. There are quite a few old, mainly 19th century, inscriptions. The year "1773" is even engraved on the stake and on a
attic beam.
The lowest low attic, in which a bolt mill is installed, is called "the hell". Furthermore, in addition to 2 pairs of stones and the bolt mill, there is also an oat crusher and a
stone grinder driven by the wind.
Source: information board on site