De Bloem

De Bloem, also known as De Blom, is a historic smock mill in the western part of Amsterdam on the Haarlemmerweg. The structure dates from 1768 and originally stood on the Rijkeroort bastion before it was demolished in 1877 to make way for city building plans and rebuilt in 1878 at its current location in Sloten. The mill has a stone base four meters (13 ft) high, as well as lower and upper octagonal sections. Inside the spacious building are three wind-driven millstone pairs made of blue and artificial stones, supplemented by a mechanically powered milling system on the lower level. In addition to its technical equipment, the mill includes two attached houses, one of which is still lived in. Originally designed as a grain mill, it was in active use until 1960 before becoming a cultural site. Today it is run by volunteers and, while it is generally not open to the public, it opens its doors to visitors on special occasions.