If Don Quixote had a chance to visit a village Kinderdijk, his battle with windmills could drag on, because there are as many as 19 of them here! It is believed that this the largest concentration of ancient mills in the Netherlands, a picturesque historical complex has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997.


The village of Kinderdijk is located 15 km east of Rotterdam. Tourists willingly come here to see the mills, which were built in 1738-1740. The village is located at the confluence of two rivers - Lek and Nord; this area was artificially drained and dams were built on it to protect against flooding. Such areas located below sea level are called polders; to maintain the required water level on them, special drainage systems are used, the basis of which is windmills.


For the Alblasserwaard polder, where the village of Kinderdijk is located, the problem of flooding became more acute in the 13th century, when a network of artificial canals was built, as well as 150 windmills. Over the years, technology has improved and the number of mills has decreased, today there are only 28 left, 19 of which can be seen in Kinderdijk.


Most of the mills have been replaced with efficient diesel pumps, although the remaining windmills are still in working order, being used as a reserve in emergency situations. The last time the mills were used was during the Second World War, when there was a severe shortage of fuel for the pumps.


In summer, the ancient mills are turned on for the sake of numerous tourists, so that they can feel the atmosphere of medieval Holland. One of the mills is even equipped with a small museum.


By the way, on the website Culturology.RF you can see photographs of another symbol of this amazing country.

20% of the Netherlands' territory is below sea level, and 50% of the territory is only one meter or less above sea level.

The entire history of the Netherlands is a history of the struggle between man and the sea.

And despite the dedication and amazing tenacity of the people, man was not always the winner in this endless struggle. Therefore, the drainage system is particularly important in Holland.

Residents have long needed a developed water level management system in order to protect large areas from flooding.

For the Alblasserwaard polder, this problem became relevant back in the 13th century. In order to get rid of excess water, a large number of artificial canals were dug. However, while the drained soil was just beginning to harden, river levels rose due to river sand. After a few centuries, a new way of keeping the polders dry was needed. Therefore, it was decided to build a series of windmills capable of pumping water and holding it in an internal basin at an intermediate level between the level of the polders and the water level in the river. These mills are well preserved to this day and are located in the town of Kinderdijk near Rotterdam.

Parking at the entrance is paid - 5 euros regardless of the duration. Entrance to the wind park is free. But since there seems to be no other convenient way to get here other than by car, the parking fee is a disguised entrance fee. Although it’s probably quite possible to come from Rotterdam by bicycle, the distance there is about 20-25 km. At the entrance there is a beautiful and detailed plan of the facility, the same plan is handed over by the parking attendant after accepting money for parking.

And although the place is touristic, it is very beautiful and unusual. It's a pleasure to walk here. The real Holland - flat terrain to the horizon, a lot of water, many mills, one of which even spins! The place where the existing stereotype coincides with the surrounding reality :)

All these windmills were not used to produce flour, but to pump water. Wind energy is transmitted through a system of shafts and gears to a water wheel, which, due to rotation, pumps water from one channel to another, then the water flows into the river, the level of which is higher than the surface of the earth. There are physical limitations on the height to which one mill can raise water, so mills were often installed in cascades - each subsequent mill raising water higher than the previous one. In the 16th century, such technology was a real breakthrough and made it possible to solve the eternal problem of drainage. Of course, there is plenty of wind from the North Sea in Holland.

The mills are perfectly preserved, or perhaps simply restored.

This photo clearly shows the water supply to the mill.

This mill is operational, the blades rotate and you can go there to see how it all works.

You have to pay a few euros to enter.

1738! The blades rotate with a whistle, and the power of the wind energy is felt. If something like this hurts a person, it won’t seem like much.

To set the optimal position of the wind wheel depending on the wind direction, the upper part of the mill can be rotated using a special mechanism. It’s also interesting inside, everything rotates and works, the sound of water can be heard below - the mill pumps water. The furnishings of the 18th century have been recreated in the premises.

Input channel.

Most of the territory of the Netherlands is flat.

Nowadays, instead of windmills, electric or diesel pumping stations are used, which pump out water around the clock. I was surprised that at this pumping station the pumps are driven not by electric motors, but by diesel engines like those in ships or diesel engines. This is probably an expensive pleasure, pumping water with diesel engines, which have a limited service life, and fuel is not cheap these days. Although it is quite possible that this is just a backup station, which is put into operation when the main ones cannot cope, or if suddenly there are power outages.


All my life I've lived in absolute confidence that mills are built to grind flour. And only after seeing the world-famous Kinderdijk- a reserve of real ancient mills in the town of Alblasserdam, which is 20 km from Rotterdam, I realized how wrong I was.

19 huge mills, built in the 1740s-1760s, lined up along an artificial canal. Once upon a time, they rotated their wings day and night and pumped water from this canal into the nearby Lek River, whose level is higher, thereby protecting the surrounding fields and villages. Therefore, inside these majestic structures there are not millstones and flour, but giant wheels with metal scoop blades that spin in a narrow stone bag.

They "pick up" the water below, lift it and pour it into a gutter 1.5 meters higher. These 1.5 meters of difference between the river level and the space conquered from it are the price of life for many generations of Dutch people. After all, people first settled here in the 9th century, and the first mill for pumping water in Alblasserdam was built back in 1366.

Getting to Kinderdijk From Rotterdam you can take a bus, or even better, a boat. The journey lasts about an hour and it docks literally at the entrance to the park. You can simply walk along the paths along the dam that separates the canal and the river. But it’s much more pleasant to take a boat ride along all the mills (ticket 3 euros), which departs every few minutes. You can also rent bicycles (one costs 2.5 euros; if you rent two, it costs 4 euros).

Although Kinderdijk is famous first of all, for its mills, but it can also be safely called a reserve of unafraid birds - only here I saw very close wild cranes or a beautiful crested grebe, who did not pay any attention to tourists, and only reacted disapprovingly to workers harvesting reed on the shore: this The roofs of the mills are constantly covered with dried reeds, as in ancient times.

Since the Dutch lived(and now live) in constant anticipation of floods, the ancient millers (those who watched the water, not the flour) never left their post. Their wives and children also helped them monitor the mill, rotate it with the help of ingenious systems of levers, and “catch the wind.”

Therefore in every mill there was a residential part. You can also see it in Kinderdijk. Entrance to the mill costs 3.5 euros. I strongly advise you not to miss this opportunity. We saw not only the mechanisms, but also the kitchen and children's rooms. Only instead of white aprons and caps, Dutch millers have a huge number of boots and waterproof raincoats in their houses.

And leaving the Netherlands on the plane, taking a last look at the country reclaimed from the sea, I understood why there are so many mills here and such a reverent attitude towards them. And now nothing has changed. Only instead of wind, the pumps are driven by electricity. The fight against water continues.

But once upon a time, mills in Holland did literally everything: ground flour, pumped water out of drained areas of land, stirred paint, sawed wood, well, except that they did not chop wood.

Many centuries ago, when there was neither a blender nor a coffee grinder in houses, and what can I say, and there was no electricity either, man learned to “catch” the wind with the wings of windmills and use its power for his own benefit. Windmills ground flour and were used as sawmills or water stations. Already with the advent of steam engines, the importance of mills in the life of mankind became not so high, and over the years, windmills became simply a pleasant addition to the landscape on the plains of Europe and the seashores in the Netherlands.

But mills in Holland were used for their intended purpose much longer than in its neighboring countries. Until now, their blades spin tirelessly, fighting the gusts of wind from the gloomy dark sea, and somehow I don’t want to believe that in fact it is no longer mills in Holland and a small, barely noticeable float that “run” the system of water pumping stations, but omnipresent technological progress .

There are different types of windmills in the Netherlands, and each of them has a specific purpose: pumping water, draining polders, sawing wood, grinding grain and many others. Some areas are famous for their windmills; if you ask around, they will definitely tell you where the most beautiful windmills are located.

The windmills of Holland will always spin their wings. Museum of Old and Small Windmills in the Netherlands

Windmills in Holland have always been a faithful assistant to man in this difficult task. Then windmills began to help drain man's land and pumped and pumped and pumped water all the time.

Sometimes you really forget that the Dutch had to grind flour in the same way as, for example, the Greeks. Today there is so much said about the fact that the country is below sea level, that at least a third of its land area has been reclaimed from nature by drainage, that one must keep a vigilant eye on the tides, that one really gets the feeling that the windmills in Holland were built solely for the purpose of fighting with constantly advancing water. This is, of course, a misconception, so to better understand the issue of windmills it is worth visiting one of the windmill museums.

If you intend to learn as much as possible about windmills, then you won’t go to the capital - there are only two windmills left in Amsterdam, alas. But one of them, Molen de Otter, is the only operating windmill-sawmill in the world.

There are several mills in Leiden, and a couple in Haarlem. To get a more or less complete picture of Dutch mills, you can go to Zaanse Schans, a small village near Zaandam, an open-air museum of wooden architecture. There is a bus going there from Amsterdam Central Station, but nothing will stop you from taking a short trip around Holland by car.

Getting to know the windmills in Holland is a very exciting activity. The Dutch restored many of them. Every year in Holland they celebrate Mill Day. Every second Saturday in May, 600 watermills and windmills across the country open their doors to visitors. This is a great opportunity to see some of the old mills that are not usually open to visitors.

If you have time, take a trip to Kinderdijk, a small village in the province of South Holland, located 15 km from Rotterdam, located at the confluence of two rivers, Lek and Noord, in drained and cultivated areas of lowland, protected by dams from filling with water.

Back in 1740, a system of 19 windmills was built here to drain the polders. This group of mills is today the largest concentration of ancient windmills in the Netherlands. This place can be called the windmill museum in Holland. The windmill complex in Kinderdijk was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997.

A touching legend is associated with the name of the village Kinderdijk:

"Kinderdijk" is translated from Dutch as "children's dam". In 1421, during the flood of St. Elizabeth, the polder area was partially flooded. They said that when the terrible storm subsided, people went to see what had survived and saw a cradle floating in the water. They did not expect to find anyone alive in it, but when the cradle floated closer, some movement became visible. Then someone saw a cat jumping from one corner to another to keep its balance and not tip over. When the cradle floated to the shore, it was discovered that it was completely dry inside, and even more, the child was quietly sleeping in it.

Travel to Schiedam, the city home to the tallest vertical windmills in the world. Of the original twenty, only five survived. This is also a kind of windmill museum in Holland. In 2006, a wind turbine similar to a traditional windmill was built in the area. There is a metro line from Rotterdam to Schiedam, although you can always take a bicycle.

There are more than 1000 windmills in the Netherlands today. Some of them are still used for drainage, such as two of Kinderdijk's twenty mills. In Amsterdam there is still a Molen de Otter in operation, which is also used for drainage purposes. In Leiden, the Molen de Falk mill has been restored and is grinding grain again, as in former times. Some working mills may be stopped: the buildings around them are getting taller, so the mills can no longer catch the wind as before.

Volendam is a former fishing village turned into an international tourist attraction. A wide variety of fishing boats and yachts can be seen in the port of this old fishing village. Volendam's fish auction is no less famous - here you can buy delicious smoked eel and the freshest herring.

Volendam is also famous for the beauty of its folk costumes. Women wear pleated sweaters with blue or black stripes, over a seven-color skirt called a “Zevenklürige rock.” But the most characteristic feature of the costume is the headdress: it almost completely covers the face and resembles a medieval helmet. Men wear short jackets with silver buttons cinched at the waist, fluffy black trousers and round hats.

Fans of active recreation in Volendam can play tennis, fishing, windsurfing, yachting and canoeing, walking and cycling. Since the city is located next to and on the water, vacationers take boat trips around the harbor to see this amazing fairy-tale settlement from the sea.

At the end of the 19th century, Volendam was a very popular place among impressionist artists. At the local hotel "Spaander" they often paid with their paintings. Today these works, which are over 100 years old, can be seen on the walls of the hotel.

Cheese farm Catherina Hoeve

Cheese is one of those national Dutch products with deep historical roots. In the village of Zaanse Schans, located near Amsterdam, a real cheese factory has been preserved, keeping the ancient secrets of making the legendary Dutch cheese.

Here the cheese is made according to ancient recipes of Dutch masters and not only from cow’s milk, but also from goat’s and sheep’s milk. The value of cheese is also due to the high consumption of milk: at least 10 liters are required for 1 kg of cheese.

The variety of assortment will surprise even the most demanding gourmet. Visitors are given a unique opportunity to taste and purchase several dozen cheeses of different varieties: from classic to exclusive. Cheeses, soft and hard, smoked, with various additives (nuts, spices, garlic, herbs, etc.)

Visiting the cheese factory is free for everyone.

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Mill town Zaanse Schans

The city of mills - Zaanse Schans - is located just half an hour from Amsterdam. In this city, all the architecture is typically Dutch.

Today this town is a tourist reserve, which contains ancient exhibits, and some of them still house cheese factories and workshops for making klomps. Here, in almost every house there are small museums, restaurants, cafes and souvenir shops that attract numerous tourists. Rich and especially wealthy tourists can rent any of the presented houses, where you can feel like a true Dutchman of bygone centuries. Also in this town, windmills operate daily, pressing peanut butter or sawing logs.

In the 18th century, there were more than 1,000 windmills in the city, of which only 6 remain operational. Inside the mills you can even chat with the miller and learn about the intricacies of his work or the history of the city and each house.

Klomps are the national wooden shoes of the Dutch, which are one of the symbols of this country. Originally from the Middle Ages, klomps are still in demand by some residents of Holland. They are worn by peasants who value high durability and practicality in klomps. The clogs are convenient to put on and carry, and the foot in a wooden shoe is reliably protected from cuts and bruises.

In the town of Zaanse Schans there is a museum where the largest collection of klomps is collected. There are simple shoes without patterns for everyday wear, and there are also painted ones, which the Dutch wear on holidays. Some samples can be called works of art. A person wearing klomps used to be recognized by a unique pattern characteristic of a particular place in Holland.

There is a workshop in the museum building where they make clogs. Previously, they were cut out by hand, but now the production uses sophisticated technology, thanks to which the shoes are made in a matter of minutes right in front of visitors.

National Dutch shoes can be purchased as souvenirs in a small souvenir shop: the choice is very rich. Interesting accessories made from different types of wood are also sold here.

The museum is open from April to September daily from 8:00 to 18:30, from October to March from 9:00 to 17:00. The entrance is free.

The most popular attractions in Volendam with descriptions and photographs for every taste. Choose the best places to visit famous places in Volendam on our website.

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