Dutch Windmill Society

De Hollandsche Molen, commonly rendered in English as the Dutch Windmill Society or Dutch Windmill Association, is a Dutch nonprofit heritage organization founded in 1923 to safeguard the country's windmills. Its work combines preservation advocacy, historical documentation, restoration support, public education, and the promotion of windmill ownership and operation as part of the Netherlands' cultural landscape. Rather than functioning as a commercial consumer brand, the organization operates as a specialist association and national knowledge platform for mills and mill heritage. A central part of its role is maintaining and developing information about Dutch windmills. Its website provides access to a national database known as Het Nederlands Molenbestand, which documents approximately 1,400 mills in the Netherlands. The database is regarded as an authoritative reference for identifying and describing Dutch mills, supporting researchers, owners, conservationists, public authorities, and visitors. Through this documentation function, the society helps preserve knowledge about the different types, locations, histories, uses, and technical characteristics of mills. The organization also supports the physical conservation and restoration of windmills. Dutch mills have historically served drainage, grain milling, sawmilling, and other industrial purposes, but many became vulnerable as their original economic functions declined. De Hollandsche Molen has advocated for public and private investment in their upkeep and has been credited with building an effective lobby for restoration funding from Dutch government institutions. Its financial base includes membership income and grants or support from organizations including the BankGiro Loterij. The society's influence extends beyond individual restoration projects. It represents windmill interests in public discussions, helps maintain the visibility of mills as national heritage, and encourages the continued operation and interpretation of surviving examples. Its preservation model connects technical maintenance with public access, historical scholarship, and the cultural identity associated with the Dutch landscape. The organization has also benefited from royal patronage. Prince Claus of the Netherlands became its patron in 1981 and attended ten ceremonies marking the reopening of restored windmills. After his death in 2002, the twelve windmills owned and operated by the organization displayed their sails in a traditional mourning position. Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau subsequently became patron, and in August 2014 former Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands assumed the role. These associations gave public visibility to the society's conservation mission. De Hollandsche Molen remains an active Netherlands-focused heritage association. Its principal public-facing assets are its membership and advocacy network, its national mill documentation, its restoration and preservation expertise, and its educational role. It should be understood primarily as a cultural and conservation institution rather than as a manufacturer, retailer, or conventional product brand.

De Hollandsche Molen was founded in 1923 in response to the need for organized protection of the Netherlands' historic windmills. By that time, technological and economic changes had reduced the importance of many traditional mills, leaving a large part of the national mill heritage exposed to neglect, alteration, or demolition. The new association established a framework through which windmills could be documented, maintained, restored, and represented in public policy. Over time, the society developed into a national specialist organization rather than a local preservation group. Its work has included collecting and publishing knowledge about mills, supporting owners and conservation projects, promoting awareness of the technical and historical value of windmills, and lobbying public institutions for restoration resources. The organization is widely associated with an effective campaign for government funding, helping position windmill conservation as a matter of national cultural heritage rather than only a private responsibility. Documentation became one of its most important institutional functions. The society's website provides access to Het Nederlands Molenbestand, a national inventory covering approximately 1,400 Dutch mills. The inventory supplies a shared reference point for researchers, heritage administrators, owners, visitors, and restoration specialists. By recording the country's surviving mills, the organization helps preserve information even when individual structures change condition or use. The association has also maintained a direct connection with scholarship. Frederik Stokhuyzen, a former president, was recognized as one of the leading scholars of Dutch windmills. His book Molens, first published in 1961 and subsequently revised, became a standard reference work on the subject. This scholarly dimension reinforced the society's role as a source of authoritative knowledge, not merely an advocacy body. Royal patronage added a prominent public dimension to the organization's conservation work. Prince Claus became patron in 1981 and attended ten ceremonies at which restored windmills were reopened. When he died in 2002, the twelve windmills owned and operated by the society displayed their sails in a traditional mourning configuration. Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau then became patron. In August 2014, former Queen Beatrix took over the position from her son. The society's financial support has come from membership contributions and grants or donations from supporting organizations, including the BankGiro Loterij. This mixed support model reflects the organization's status as a heritage association: it relies on a community of members while also seeking institutional and public backing for expensive restoration work. Today, De Hollandsche Molen continues to combine advocacy, documentation, conservation knowledge, and public engagement. Its principal significance lies in maintaining the Netherlands' windmill heritage as a living cultural resource. The organization supports not only the survival of physical structures but also the historical records, technical expertise, public understanding, and policy support required to keep those structures meaningful and, where possible, operational.

• 2014

  Beatrix becomes patron

  [1]De Hollandsche Molenen.wikipedia.org

  In August 2014, former Queen Beatrix assumed the patronage from Prince Friso.

• 2002

  Patronage passes to Prince Friso

  [1]De Hollandsche Molenen.wikipedia.org

  After Prince Claus's death, Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau became patron; the society's twelve mills marked the death with their sails in mourning position.

• 1981

  Prince Claus becomes patron

  [1]De Hollandsche Molenen.wikipedia.org

  Prince Claus of the Netherlands became the organization's patron and supported public ceremonies connected with restored mills.

• 1961

  Publication of Molens

  [1]De Hollandsche Molenen.wikipedia.org

  Frederik Stokhuyzen published Molens, a work that later became a standard reference on Dutch windmills.

• 1923

  Organization founded

  [1]De Hollandsche Molenen.wikipedia.org

  De Hollandsche Molen was established as a Dutch organization devoted to preserving, documenting, and restoring windmills.

A national specialist association and heritage advocate for the preservation, documentation, restoration, and continued public appreciation of Dutch windmills.

• National heritage database

  Het Nederlands Molenbestand

  The society's national mill inventory provides information on approximately 1,400 windmills in the Netherlands. It functions as a reference resource for the location, identification, history, and heritage status of Dutch mills, serving researchers, owners, conservation professionals, public authorities, and the general public.

• Heritage conservation service · 1923

  Windmill preservation and restoration support

  De Hollandsche Molen supports the preservation and restoration of historic windmills through specialist knowledge, advocacy, documentation, and fundraising or public-policy efforts. Its work helps owners and institutions maintain mills as physical structures and as interpretable parts of the Dutch cultural landscape.

• National restoration-funding advocacy

  Netherlands

  The organization has campaigned for government funding and institutional support for windmill restoration, helping make mill conservation a recognized public heritage priority.

  Outcome. The society is credited with developing an effective lobby that secured attention and financial support from Dutch government institutions for restoration projects.

  Source

1. 1De Hollandsche Molenen.wikipedia.org
2. 2De Hollandsche Molen official websitemolens.nl