Bull's Head and Mermaid - The Bernstein Project - Österreichische ...

Ill. 8: Paper mill “de schoolmeester” in Westzaan, built in 1768, watercolour by Jan Bulthuis (1750–1801)
ed at both ends. The vat was divided in the length into two
parts. The dividing screen does not touch the walls of the
vat, so that the liquid with the rags can circulate. On the
one side of the screen is a cylinder with iron knives. Usually
the bottom of the vat under the cylinder is adapted such
that it follows the contours of the cylinder.
On the bottom there are also iron knives. The rags come
between the iron ribs and are cut and broken. Finally, the
result will be a finer, but also stronger paper. The oldest illustration
of the Hollander dates from 1718, nota bene in a
German book. In the Netherlands itself the first illustration
appears in 1734. Giving an impression of its capacity; it furnishes
in one day as much pulp as with stampers in eight
days. It was in fact also this innovation that allowed the
wind-driven mills to produce white paper, the standard for
writing and printing. Until then the wind-powered mills
were restricted almost exclusively to the production of the
crudest types, gray paper and cardboard. The Hollander
was the most important innovation in paper making between
the Middle Ages and the 19 th -century introduction of
mechanized paper making. It accounts for the rapid expansion
of the Zaan’s region’s white paper-producing capacity
to some 80.000 reams per year between 1675 and 1700.
Gray and blue paper production rose about 10.000 reams
in 1650, 30.000 in 1670, 50.000 in 1700, 65.000 to
75.000 between 1740 and 1790. But then the progress
stopped, also at the Veluwe.
Elsewhere in Europe further industrialization of the paper
making industry took place. In the Netherlands it started
rather late. Partly due to the fact that during the French occupation
in the Napoleonic era the Netherlands were rather
isolated. Moreover, the investments which should be done
in order to install new equipment were rather high, especially
for small paper-makers as at the Veluwe. And sometimes
they also had not the knowledge how to handle the
machinery. Steam was introduced firstly in the 1830s. In the
water mills it was often combined with water power. In the
windmills steam was a must since the modern machinery
could not be operated with wind energy. In fact only a part
of the Dutch paper industry followed the new developments.
Many watermills were transformed to laundry and
bleaching installations.
At this moment only a few paper mills in the Netherlands
have remained. Among them the one in the Openluchtmuseum
in Arnhem (Ill. 11). In fact it is not just one paper mill.
It has been constructed from parts of the former “Achterste
molen” from Loenen at the Veluwe, supplemented by parts
of other mills in the surroundings. It is run occasionally. Another
still running mill is the “Middelste Molen” in Loenen,
which is still on its site and stood next to the mill in the
Openluchtmuseum.
19