The new visitors' centre for the 18th-century mill Molen van 't Veld has just opened in Geel providing an interactive introduction to the miller's craft
From today, visitors in Geel can visit a new visitors' centre at the Molen van 't Veld, one of two mills in the town. Here, in an interactive way visitors will be introduced to the miller's profession . The centre will only be open two Sundays a month for now due to a lack of millers in the city.
Visitors to the Molen van 't Veld Mill in Geel (Antwerp) can now visit a new visitors' centre. "The previous one was out of date," explains alderwoman for tourism Nadine Laeremans. "Renovation was urgently needed, because a lot of school groups visit the mill."
The mill dates from the eighteenth century and is one of two mills in the city. Renovation of the visitors' centre started in 2020.
"Now we are trying to introduce visitors to the miller's profession in an interactive way," Laeremans explains. One way to do this is through videos showing Victor, an imaginary miller. "Victor is the patron saint of millers, so his name was not chosen by chance. Among other things, visitors can see videos of him in action, as well as videos about how grain is harvested."
In addition, thanks to screens people with disabilities will be able to see what the mill looks like at the top so they don't have to climb the mill.
The Molen van 't Veld Mill originally stood in Heist-op-den-Berg (Antwerp) and was then moved to the hamlet of Elsum (Geel). "But at one point it could no longer be operated there because of a lack of wind," says Laeremans. In 1992, the mill then moved to its current site, where there is a lot of wind. The site is also on several cycling routes and is the starting point of a nature walk. It is also home to two other museums: the Bakery Museum and the Brewery Museum.
More millers wanted
Besides the mill itself, some changes have also been made to the site around it.
"Benches have been set out so that people can have a snack. A listening post has also been installed. In this way, people can still get information about the mill when it is closed."
The visitors' centre will only be open on the first and third Sundays of each month, when a miller will also be present.
"The other Sundays of the month he has to be at the other mill," Laeremans explains. "We are looking for new millers, so that eventually we can open the visitors' centre and the mill every Sunday. That is our ambition."