De Bonte Hen – English

De Bonte Hen

Oil mill De Bonte Hen was probably built in 1693 on the spot where a sawmill named ‘t Hentje had previously stood. The mill still stands at that location on the Kalverringdijk on the Zaanse Schans.

From oil to cocoa

Since 1846, the Bonte Hen was owned by the company T. Crok from Koog aan de Zaan. Until 1912, the company used the mill as a test mill to determine how much oil a particular batch of seed contained. If the yield was sufficient, the batch was purchased and fully processed in the De Engel steam oil extracter. After 1912, the mill was rented out and mainly cocoa butter was minted.

In 1924 a diesel engine was installed in the mill and from 1927 the blades stopped working for good. The now dilapidated mill was demolished in 1935. The barn and basement remained and served as a warehouse. In 1973, the dilapidated mill barn and substructure were purchased by De Zaansche Molen. The Bonte Hen was then completely rebuilt and restored. The official commissioning followed in 1979.

This mill is currently open almost every day (slightly less in winter) and Jippe Kreuning is the head miller. He also has his sail making workshop in the attic of the barn. A beautiful craft.