Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: Göhl

The Molen van Otten (Mill of Otten) is located on a branch of the river Geul in the village of Wijlre. It is one of the few water mills in the Netherlands with a double water wheel. The history of the mill dates back to 1275, when it was built as a banmolen (mill soke) of the heerlijkheid (a landed estate that served as the lowest administrative and judicial unit in rural areas in the Dutch-speaking Low Countries before 1800) Wijlre. The first written mention, however, is from a clergy in the year 1420. A bill for the restoration of the mill by the then Lord of Wijlre, “Gerard Scheiffart van Merode”, indicates the year 1485. Traditionally this watermill was a flour and oil mill. The current mill building and the accompanying house date from 1776, as the wall anchors indicate. In that year, the existing buildings were completely rebuilt and a farm and a brewery were added. At that time, the owners of the complex were the Lords of Wijlre. They leased the house with mill, farm and brewery. When the Ancien Regime was abolished at the end of the 18th century, Kasteel Wijlre , the mill, the farm and the brewery came into the hands of “Guillaume Eugene de Massen”. In 1871, the brewery was sold separately to the brewer “Frederik Edmond Brand”; this was the beginning of Brand's brewery, which grew into one of the best-known breweries in Limburg. In the thirties of the 20th century the miller’s house was badly damaged by extremely high water of the river Geul. The mill fell into disrepair and restoration started after the mill was bought by the Otten family. Since then the mill has been called Molen van Otten . Since 1981 the mill is also used for small scale electricity production. Nowadays some holiday apartments have been created in the buildings. The Molen van Otten is a National Heritage Site.

The Bovenste Molen (Upper Mill) - formerly also known as Wolfsmolen - is located at the river Geul in the hamlet of Höfke near the village of Mechelen. It is a centre mill. Downstream in the same town there is another mill, which is logically referred to as the Onderste Molen (Lower Mill). The location at the Geul seems to be very suitable, as a water mill has been standing here for 750 years. The oldest building tracks in the present building date from the 15th century. In French times the mill was confiscated and sold publicly. Throughout the centuries the mill has served as a paper mill, flour mill and artificial wool mill. Artificial wool was made from disintegrated rags mixed with sheep's wool. The Bovenste Molen was a banmolen (mill soke). The inhabitants of the lord's territory were only allowed to have their grain ground in this mill. This in turn, of course, provided additional income for the landlord, who could levy tax on the grain. Since 1979 the mill is owned by the Vereniging tot Behoud van Natuurmonumenten (Society for Preservation of Nature Monuments in the Netherlands). Nowadays the mill is no longer in operation.

The Geul is a river that has its source in Belgium, about 300 meters above sea level near the German border. It flows about 20 kilometers in Belgium before enterig the Netherlands. After a further 38 kilometers through the most southern part of the province of Limburg the Geul flows into the Meuse, north of the city of Maastricht. A drop of more than 240 meters makes it to the fastest-flowing river of the Netherlands. Along the way the river gets water from no less than one hundred and thirty side streams. The valley of the Geul in the Netherlands is a breathtaking piece of (more or less) unspoilt nature. Areas with meadows are interspersed with wooded slopes of the ‘mountains’ of southern Limburg. The valley with the meandering Geul offers cultural highlights and architectural, like quaint villages with half-timbered (farm)houses, watermills, churches and castles.

One of the most well-known building in the valley of the river Geul is probably the Volmolen just outside the village of Epen. The mill was part of the broadcloth industry in Vaals. Because of the location of the mill on the Geul, there was an abundance of water available for vollen - that’s why the mill is named Volmolen - the fulling of the wool. There was not such a large amount of water in the vicinity of Vaals. The history of the Epener mill dates back to the 17th century. In 1680 there was already talk of an oil mill. Later it is said to have been used as a bark mill. It was only in the last decades of the 18th century that it became a fulling mill. The urine and rancid butter needed for the fulling process was discharged into the river Geul after use. So it is not strange that the Volmolen was built outside the village centre of Epen. The complex is situated between the Geul and a dug mill brook. Water is pumped up into the brook to increase the decay of the water at the waterwheel. The buildings, a mill house and a farm with attached barns, surround a courtyard. The walls of the buildings are built in various types of locally broken stone. In 1872 the mill was converted into a flour mill. After several renovations and restorations the Volmolen was put into a flour mill in 1977. The mill is now owned by the Vereniging tot Behoud van Natuurmonumenten (Society for Preservation of Nature Monuments in the Netherlands). A foundation for the exploitation of the mill has a contract with a group of bakers for the supply of flour.