The Tomp van Grevenbroe

The Tomp van Grevenbroek rises lonely and mysteriously from the low-lying marshy and wooded nature reserve. The word ‘Tomp’ originates from the Dutch dialect 'teump', which simply means ‘tip’ or 'point'.
For a long time it was thought that the Tomp van Achel was the remaining tower of a castle. New research (1991-2002) revealed that the former medieval ‘tomp’ ruin, restored in 1967-1968 as a motte tower, was originally a stone windmill; technically a tower mill. It was probably built at the beginning of the 15th century. In 1596, the mill was damaged by a storm, but was repaired. However, prior to 1630, it was decommissioned and replaced by a post mill at another site in Achel. The mill tower is now located in a forest (a protected landscape), but unfortunately cannot be visited.