Nederland - Elspeet, De Hoop

Already in the year 1565 there was a windmill in Elspeet. Perhaps it was this mill that burned to the ground in 1893. The present windmill De Hoop - the successor of the burnt down mill - originates from Wateringen, where it was built in 1847 as a poldermill. The year it was rebuilt in Elspeet is probably 1894.

De Hoop was restored in 1962 and 1972, but after the last restoration it was no longer in use. For years the mill was very desolate. In November 2010 this came to an end with the start of a thorough restoration. Both the exterior and the interior were restored. In the spring of 2013 the mill could be used as a corn mill again.

De Hoop is a special mill, because it is a combination of a belt (= man made mound) and a stelling (= stage tower) mill. Originally, a platform was attached to the 3.60-metre-high mound. During the last restoration, the platform was removed. There is a mill shop in the mound, which sells various types of flour.