The history of the Commandeursmolen goes back all the way to the Middle Ages. It was mentioned for the first time in 1215, when the Lords of Wittem presented the mill to the Order of the Knights of Malta. Centuries later, the grain mill doubled as a paper factory, run by the Thielens family who founded the Royal Dutch Paper Mill KNP. In 1882 Joseph Schyns, the son of a miller from the Belgian Voer region took over the business. He turned the entire structure back into a grain mill and modernized the equipment, permitting production around the clock.

A later, sweeping modernization was realised under management of Raoul Schyns, beginning in 1994. With respect for the age-old history and tradition he has undertaken a number of adaptations and innovations in order to prepare the mill for the future.