Turbulent history
The predecessors of the current Etersheimerbraak mill were struck by lightning twice, in 1886 and 1882. Both times the mill burned down, killing the miller's wife in 1882. In 1886 a new mill was built for an amount of almost seven thousand guilders. Fifty years later, the mill was cut down to a flat roof and the blades were replaced by an electric pumping station. In 2002, the nineteenth-century mill was completely restored into a mill capable of grinding, so one that really works. In this restoration, the living interior has also been returned to its original form and original color scheme from around 1900.
The windmill ensures that the polder will not be flooded. The wind causes the blades of the mill to turn and a wooden mortar is set in motion. This is the screw that turns the water up from the ditch. This mill has a flight (length of two opposite blades together) of 22 meters. The size of the flight also determines the amount of water that can be moved per revolution. This mill raises the water 2.30 meters higher from the De Etersheimerbraak polder to the higher-lying De Zeevang polder. From there, the polder water is discharged into the Markermeer by the Warder pumping station. You can see this pumping station from here on the IJsselmeerdijk