De Zwaan

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De Zwaan is an authentic Dutch windmill in the city of Holland, Michigan, USA. The windmill's name is Dutch for The Swan or Graceful Bird

History

De Zwaan was first was erected in Kromminie, near Amsterdam, in 1761. In 1889, it was moved to nearby Vinkel at which time it was rebuilt.

When Holland, Michigan residents Willard Wichers and Carter Brown were looking for a way to pay homage to the city's Dutch heritage, their thoughts turned to a windmill. However, many of these monumental herritage structures suffered serious damage in World War II. As a result, the Dutch government had placed a ban on the sale of its windmills. Wichers and his group were able to gain an exemption by selecting a heavily damaged mill known as De Zwaan. De Zwaan was at the center of a controversy with three local agencies unable to decided upon a course of action on what to do with the damaged windmill. The Dutch government decided to sell it to Wichers for $2800, making De Zwaan the last windmill to leave the Netherlands.

In October, 1964, De Zwaan arrived aboard the Prins Willem van Oranje at the Muskegon harbor where it was unloaded and trucked to Holland to a manmade island site. Over the windter, the windmill was reconstructed.

In April 1965, the 125 foot tall windmill was formally dedicated on Windmill Island, a 36 acre site reclaimed from a swamp on the eastern end of Lake Macatawa. It is open from late April through early October.

When winds are favorable (15 to 20 miles per hour) from the west, De Zwaan's 80 foot diameter blades are usually in motion.

Trivia

Many citizens in the Netherlands hid from the Nazis in windmills (including De Zwaan) during World War Two. Bullet holes are still visible in portions of the windmill.

De Zwaan grinds approximately 9 tons of grain per year into flour. Bags of this flour are available for purchase in the museum gift shop.

Approximately 80 percent of De Zwaan's parts are original. The blades were replaced in 2000.

External links

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