Proverbial route - Mill

In Heusden, people used to have to take into account that enemies were always around. In order to produce food even inside the city walls (and later the ramparts), people built city farms and... mills!

In heusden they turnedfor the prince
There are many proverbs about mills, which show that mills used to be very important. The expression turn for the prince is very appropriate for Heusden. It means "for nothing" and it originated during the Eighty Years' War. People let the mill sails turn without the millstones grinding grain to fool the Spanish enemy. As long as the mills were turning, the Spanish would think that 'our' soldiers still had food and thus enough energy to fight.

Tip from Sjors
The drawbridge is part of the typical image we know of Heusden. Itis fun to walk across it and take a nice picture in front of the mill.

Having had a blow from the mill
It sometimes happened that someone was careless and received a blow from one of the sails of the mill. Such a blow comes very hard, because the sails turn at an enormous speed. Anyone who received a blow from the mill (sail) became completely dazed or unconscious. Therefore, the proverb means that someone is (temporarily) out of his or her mind.

Fun facts:

• The mills that are here now are not the original ones. However, they are the same kind of mills: standard mills.
• The mills stand on a wooden structure that can rotate.
• See those little shields on the mill? Behind them are holes. When the miller opens the shields, he can hear from the whistling of the wind whether he should turn the mill: set it to windward.

When the sails are turning, no one is fooled! A miller will be present: you can often take a look!

Continue route
Keep left and walk down a bit. You will see the gate of the Heemtuin.