Schiedam: discover the Dutch Distillers District
January 14, 2025
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A while back, we took you to Mill Liberty in Schiedam, the only mill still fully functioning as a working mill. We took a look at the artisanal milling process here and saw how dozens of bags of flour products were prepared for distribution every day. But what exactly happens to the grain ground here? Well, one of the places where the flour products go is Mill Shop the Walvisch. And this is quite a special place in Schiedam if you ask us!
Mill The Whale
Mill The Walvisch is located on the Westvest in Schiedam. Built in 1794, the mill ground grains for the gin industry. For a while in the 1930s, De Walvisch even processed magnesium into medicine and pure carbon dioxide. This in turn was sold to lemonade factories in Schiedam. The Walvisch is named after the Greenland whaling industry that was still active in the late 18th century.
In 1996 something happened that many Schiedammers still remember. The Walvisch caught fire and the interior was completely destroyed from hood to the 1st attic. Thanks to many actions by Schiedam businesses and residents, De Walvisch could be restored. In 1999, the mill started running again.
Since 2018, De Walvisch has become the museum mill of the Schiedam mills. In De Walvisch, you get to know the mill history of Schiedam and the interesting history surrounding the Schiedam gin industry. You can also find flour and baking products.
The various attics in mill the Walvisch
Like mill De Vrijheid, De Walvisch has several attics. So where De Vrijheid serves as a working mill, De Walvisch has other functions. The first floor houses the mill store. And in the mill store, that's where you'll again see the fine flour products made in mill De Vrijheid.
Above the mill store is a mezzanine with seating space, and in the attic above it, the stock from De Vrijheid is processed into products for the store. On the second floor is the Panorama attic. On the third floor is an education project with a nice cross section of a mill and where you can learn more about the position of the sails.
The Panorama Attic is definitely worth checking out. In this attic, a video is played on the inside walls of the mill. This tells about the history of the mills in an entertaining way. You can also climb the counter at Mill De Walvisch and admire the magnificent view of the city and some of Schiedam's other mills.
The mill store in The Walvisch
At the mill store at De Walvisch you will find a large assortment of mill flour and other baking products. You can find different types of flour, regional products, muesli and baking mixes such as nut cake mix, pancake mix and speculaas mix. Will you go for a traditional speculaas pop or will it be the shape of an authentic upright mill?
With all the baking supplies and various tasty ingredients for baking, the mill store in De Walvisch is the place to be in Schiedam for all home bakers.
The Schiedam Mills
Mills played an important role in gin history in the past. Indeed, Schiedam is pre-eminently a jenever city. The mills ground grain for the burners, who distilled malt wine for the jenever industry. The Schiedam windmills are the tallest in the world and, as a result, a prominent part of Schiedam's townscape. All the mills that are still there today still turn regularly. This makes the mills extra special in Schiedam!
Travander
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