There at that mill

It stands along the Kostverlorenvaart, in a historic spot in the heart of Oud-West, a piece of Amsterdam reminiscent of a painting by Jacob van Ruysdael.

“The mill is almost 400 years old and it still runs like hell,” said the miller. That has not always been the case. The Otter has stood idle for 10 years and has only been able to turn around again since 2017. At the time – in 1631 – it was deliberately placed outside the city walls to catch a lot of wind and also built close to the water, so that timber could be transported by boat to the VOC’s shipyards.

The quays of the Kostverlorenvaart have deteriorated considerably over the years, and the banks have also begun to sag. Dry sheds were especially at risk. Those were right along the water. They are now dismantled and stored elsewhere. They are later rebuilt in the exact same place.

Quays and banks

There are several reasons why the wharves and banks look so bad: rats in the banks, pigeons under the bridges, but especially the greatly increased traffic on the water is causing a lot of damage. And to make matters worse, a workboat had also bored its bow into the quay off The Otter.

The many miles of quays to be repaired have been “cut up” and assigned to different contractors. Around the mill, Van Schie is working on behalf of the Beens Groep of Genemuiden. First, the reeds, willow branches and other vegetation on the banks there had to be removed. Then the old quay wall (consisting of wooden and concrete piles, capped with a concrete cover gap) could be “removed. That is, the concrete was crushed and the piles were pulled out of the ground.

Van Schie also provided the earthwork around the entire quay. This was done under remediation conditions. Incidentally, the entire work took place on the basis of the strictest environmental regulations. Not a grain of sand was supplied or removed by land. All transport took place by water, with assistance from tug CHELSEY.