Molen De Otter is a wind-powered timber sawmill on the Kostverlorenvaart in Amsterdam-West, built in or shortly after 1631. It is the oldest of the five paltrok sawmills that survive in the Netherlands and the last of the dozens of wind sawmills that once lined this canal. Volunteer millers still turn it and saw wood when the wind allows, and you can usually look inside on Tuesday afternoons between 12:00 and 16:00.
The mill stands in a working timber yard on Gillis van Ledenberchstraat, south of Westerpark and a short walk west of the Jordaan. Few visitors find it, which is part of the appeal.
Molen De Otter at a glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Type | Paltrok mill (wind-powered timber sawmill) |
| Built | In or shortly after 1631; probably first named De Kleine Otter (The Little Otter) |
| Address | Gillis van Ledenberchstraat 78A, 1052 VK Amsterdam |
| Protection | Rijksmonument (national monument) no. 1198, listed in 1977 |
| Owner | Houthandel Gt. van der Bijl, the timber firm that has owned the mill since 1817 |
| Machinery | Three wooden saw frames; sails spanning 19.5 metres |
| Visiting | Usually Tuesdays 12:00 to 16:00 with a miller; turning depends on wind |
| Current updates | De Otter on Facebook and Molenterrein De Otter |
Why Amsterdam built sawmills here
Between 1630 and 1638, twelve wind sawmills went up on a strip of land between the Kostverlorenvaart and the city’s western moat: eleven paltroks and one cap-winding mill. De Otter was one of them. Over the following decades dozens more sawmills appeared along the canal, cutting the timber that Amsterdam’s shipyards and building sites needed during the 17th century.
The mill’s current owner, Guido Mensink, and miller Roel Gremmer describe the area as the first industrial zone in the Netherlands. They also note that De Otter had been sawing for about a decade when Rembrandt painted The Night Watch in 1642.
How a paltrok sawmill works
A paltrok is the only Dutch mill type that turns entirely into the wind. The whole wooden building rests on a short central post and a ring of wooden rollers set on a low brick base. The miller swings it round using a tailpole and winch, a process called kruien in Dutch. The name comes from the paltrok, a wide-skirted men’s coat that the mill’s silhouette was thought to resemble.
Inside, the sails drive a horizontal crankshaft. Connecting rods from its three cranks move three wooden saw frames up and down, while ratchet mechanisms feed the log carriages forward and work the winches that haul logs out of the water onto the sawing floor. The sawing floor is open on three sides, protected only on the windward side and by the side roofs.
De Otter has a detail that sets it apart. Like several lost Amsterdam paltroks, its log crane sits on the right-hand side; the other surviving Dutch paltroks have it on the left. During the 1990s restoration the mill received a new wooden windshaft made of azobé, a tropical hardwood.
How De Otter survived
From about 1860, Amsterdam’s wind sawmills went into decline, and the city’s 1877 expansion plan swallowed the land they stood on. De Otter lasted because its owner, the Van der Bijl family firm, also traded timber and chose to keep the mill rather than sell it to the city for demolition.
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1631 | De Otter is built on its present site, in or shortly after this year |
| 1817 | Gerrit van der Beyl buys the mill, founding the firm now known as Gt. van der Bijl |
| Early 1900s | Production probably ends; a 1917 photo suggests the mill was already idle |
| 1925 | The sails are removed after the wooden windshaft cracks; the body and machinery stay in place |
| 1929 to 1931 | De Eenhoorn, Amsterdam’s last working wind sawmill, stops and is demolished, leaving De Otter as the only survivor |
| 1977 | Listed as a national monument |
| 1994 to 1996 | Full restoration returns the mill to working order |
| 2006 | New buildings block so much wind that regular milling stops; a court rules the mill must stay on its site |
| 2006 to 2017 | Plans to move the mill to Uitgeest lead to years of legal disputes |
| 2017 | Volunteers restart the mill in May; on 4 August a court confirms it stays in Amsterdam |
| 2019 | Major repainting and maintenance; Tuesday opening begins |
| 2022 to 2024 | Sawing sheds rebuilt on new foundations; the site switches to aquathermal heating drawn from the canal |
The fight over wind
A windmill needs open space around it, known in Dutch as its molenbiotoop. De Otter is about 12.5 metres tall, and taller buildings have been rising around it for decades. In 2008 its then miller said the site received less than 10 percent of the wind it needed, which is why milling stopped in 2006 and relocation became a serious option.
The latest dispute concerns new housing on the former Food Center Amsterdam site nearby, including a 12-storey tower planned just over 100 metres away, upwind in the west and south-west. The owner argued it would cost the mill too many turning and sawing hours. On 6 August 2025, the Council of State (Raad van State) rejected the appeals, finding that reliable wind research showed the mill could still function. The owner disputes that conclusion and hopes eventually to saw five or six days a week.
Visiting Molen De Otter
You can usually go inside on Tuesday afternoons, from 12:00 to 16:00, when a miller is on site. The sails turn only when there is enough wind, and volunteers sometimes run the mill on other days too, so check the mill’s Facebook page before a special trip. Enter through the gate on Gillis van Ledenberchstraat; it is locked in the evening.
- Getting there: about 25 minutes on foot from Dam Square, or a short bike ride from the Jordaan. Bikes can be parked on the mill grounds.
- Etiquette: this is a working timber yard with neighbours close by, so keep noise down and follow the millers’ directions around the machinery.
- National Mill Day: held on the second weekend of May each year. Check the De Hollandsche Molen listing to see whether De Otter is taking part.
- Coming soon: the owner plans a museum in the oldest shed telling the story of the Kostverlorenvaart sawmills. Confirm it has opened before planning around it.
Photography tips
- Shoot from across the Kostverlorenvaart to fit in the whole mill and its reflection.
- Come on a Tuesday with a good breeze if you want the sails set and turning.
- Frame the wooden mill against the modern blocks behind it; that contrast is the wind dispute in a single picture.
- Ask a miller before photographing inside, and keep well clear of moving saw frames.
Nearby places and other windmills
De Otter fits easily into an afternoon in Amsterdam-West. Walk north to Westerpark and the Westergasfabriek, or east into the Jordaan’s canals and cafes.
To see more mills, Molen van Sloten is a working polder mill with guided tours, De Gooyer sits beside Brouwerij ‘t IJ in the east, and De Riekermolen stands on the Amstel. Zaanse Schans has another of the five surviving Dutch paltroks, so it makes a good comparison; see Kinderdijk vs Zaanse Schans for help choosing a windmill day trip.
Frequently asked questions
Which Amsterdam windmills can you go inside?
Molen van Sloten offers regular guided tours, and De Otter usually opens on Tuesday afternoons from 12:00 to 16:00. De Gooyer and De Riekermolen can only be viewed from outside.
Does Molen De Otter still saw wood?
Yes, when there is enough wind. Volunteer millers run the mill and saw timber, mostly on Tuesdays and sometimes on other days.
Is Molen van West the same as Molen De Otter?
No. Molen van West is an events venue that lists the same address, Gillis van Ledenberchstraat 78. The windmill itself is Houtzaagmolen De Otter, so use the mill’s own channels for visiting information.
