In this episode I visit a well-known mill with quite a lot of history. This mill was build in 1920, after the Germans set the previous mill on fire at the start of World War I in 1914. The new mill was painted white in 1953 and named “De Witte Molen” (The White Mill). Since then it has always been a part of the catering industry. In the sixties and seventies it was a very famous dancing for the Flemish people. When the dancing suddenly closed, it became a popular Thai restaurant. Later on, there was even a private sauna.. But then things got quiet.

On the 9th of november 1994, the government decided to classify the mill as a protected monument. This ment that nobody could demolish it, but nobody knew what to do with it either. The mill just stood there with blocked sails, waiting for a new owner. Finally, in 2005, the mill was bought by Dirk Nuyts; who already owned a couple of casinos in the Flemish region. His plan was to repair the mill, but also to convert the other buildings around it into a cafe, a bowling alley and a casino. The bowling alley was build, but unfortunately he never got the license that he needed for the casino, and so he stopped his plan.

In 2009, the owner and the government came to an agreement to repair the abandoned mill and to demolish the buildings around it. To this date, the bowling alley still remains, much to the delight of urban explorers. After half a decade of laughter and joy, they are the last people to have fun in the buildings that surround The White Mill.

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