Bostmolen
A watermill on the Zwalmbeek that has been turning for almost a thousand years. From your 2CV you see it sitting between the meadows of Roborst.
Puttering through the Zwalm valley, you pass the Bostmolen, also called the Machelgemmolen, in Roborst (Zwalm) on the border with Strijpen. This watermill on the Zwalmbeek is one of the oldest in the region: a mill appears here in the records as early as 1040, and after rebuilding in 1630, 1785 and 1815 it took the shape you see today.
Originally the mill ground grain. Across the road stood an oil mill already mentioned in 1571; it disappeared after 1933. The watermill itself kept turning until 1966. The two-storey brick mill house under a saddle roof dates from 1630, and since 1981 a flap weir at the old lock has controlled the water level automatically, so the stream always looks its best.
The Bostmolen has been a listed monument since 2003, with its surroundings protected as a village scene. Park your little goat by the roadside for a moment: from the bridge you get the finest view of the wheel and the water. An ideal photo stop along the way.
