Papiermoolen De Schoolmeester

De Schoolmeester is located in Westzaan, in the Zaan region of the Netherlands just north of Amsterdam. The Zaan area was historically one of Europe's most important industrial milling regions, with hundreds of wind-powered mills operating along the Zaan River during the 17th and 18th centuries.

The paper mill was constructed in 1692, making it well over three centuries old and one of the oldest surviving wind-powered industrial mills in the Netherlands. It has been continuously maintained and preserved as a rare example of traditional Dutch paper-making heritage.

Yes, De Schoolmeester is still operational and functions as a working museum where visitors can observe traditional paper-making using wind power. The mill continues to produce specialty paper and demonstrates the pre-industrial manufacturing techniques that once made the Zaan region a major paper supply center for Europe.

The mill historically produced paper from rags, which was the standard raw material for paper-making before wood pulp processing became dominant in the 19th century. The Zaan region was a major supplier of rag paper to printers and publishers across the Netherlands and beyond during its peak.