Rijn en Zon corn mill in the Vogelenbuurt

The Rijn en Zon corn mill, situated in Utrecht’s Vogelenbuurt district, is one of the last two remaining mills in Utrecht. Of the many dozens of mills that used to grace the city, only the corn mill and the De Ster sawmill in Lombok remain standing today.

History
The original Rijn en Son mill was built in 1745 on the rampart on Paardenveld. When the Municipality of Utrecht had plans for a vegetable market in this spot around 1912, the mill was demolished. The De Meiboom mill that once stood next to it suffered the same fate. One year later, parts from the two old mills were used in the construction of a new mill: the current Rijn en Zon corn mill.

Storm
During a storm on 1 March 1949, the mill spun out of control and was so severely damaged that it could no longer be used. In the 1960s, the mill was acquired by the Municipality of Utrecht, but it was not until 1977 that it was restored and put back into operation.

By then there was a health food store at the street level which sold bread made with the grain from the mill. Later on, the store moved to a property further down the road and gave way to an organic butcher. Since 2011, the mill has once again been forced to cease its operations due to a split joint block in the mill cap. The repair works, however, are currently in full swing.