Print Send via e-mail/ GPS
Add to My Saved Items
Add to My Saved Items
Plan your route from | to | via this address.
A classical Dutch landscape of old windmills
| 2009-05-04 By Myra Prinsen Flat, wet marshlands, studded with rows of windmills and crowned with a typical overcast Dutch sky. A classic and enduring image. Situated in a polder at the confluence of the Lek and Noord riversabout 15km east of Rotterdam, the village of Kinderdijkis a unique part of the world with its lovingly preserved windmills.  © Stichting Kinderdijk There is nowhere else in the world where you can find such a high concentration of windmills within such a small area. The picturesque Kinderdijk Molenpark (Mill Park) boasts an unrivalled total of 19 windmills, most of which are arranged in two facing rows. On the left side, are the eight thatched windmills of the Overwaard waterway and on the right side, the eight round, stone brick basin (boezem) mills of the Nederwaard waterway. In addition, and still visible in the surrounding fields, are the ‘Low Mill’ and ‘High Mill’ Poldermolens (water mills)and, finally, the misfit of all the Kinderdijk mills, a wipmolen, a small watermill used for drainage purposes, with its distinctive pyramid-shaped base below a square house. Another mill (number 20), a Poldermolen, also once turned in the fields but has since been destroyed by fire, though the likelihood is that it will be completely rebuilt within a few years. One of Kinderdijk’s distinguishing features is that all of its mills are authentic. "We have no fakes," states Manager Hans Broekmeulen. "All of our mills remain in the original spots where they were first built and we’ve resisted buying or developing any new mills for tourism purposes."  © Stichting Kinderdijk Old waterworksVisitors to Kinderdijk looking to purchase a souvenir bag of ground flour will do so in vain as there are no grain mills. The orderly arrangement of the mills is no coincidence and has everything to do with their role as, for centuries, the mills and their surrounding network offered the best drainage solution for the area. The Alblasserwaard polder is located almost 2.5 meters below sea-level and the picturesque Kinderdijk Molenpark, built around 1740, is one of the oldest Dutch waterworks. The mills were introduced to pump water from the Kinderdijk polders half a meter up to the nearby River Lek where it would subsequently flow out to sea. Kinderdijk was described by UNESCO as “an exceptional, man-made landscape that bears a powerful stamp of human ingenuity and determination in the drainage and protection of land through hydraulic engineering techniques." The area was declared a World Heritage site in 1997 and, though the mills are all still fully functional, they are no longer used for drainage purposes. Following the industrial revolution, steam pump technology was introduced (1868) in order to keep the polders dry and the area now benefits from one of the largest pumping stations in the world.  © Stichting Kinderdijk Walking and cyclingHydraulic engineering apart, Kinderdijk’s network of mills offers hours of scenic routes to be explored on foot or by bike. The paths along the mills are not accessible to the public, but the quay between the two rows of mills offers both public cycle and footpaths. Most of the windmills are still inhabited, though you’ll need to be a qualified miller to be considered eligible for such a unique property and you may also be expected to make your home as accessible as possible to visitors. Between March and October, several activities are organized including a number of riverboat cruises along the Overwaard that now include Kinderdijk in their programs, providing visitors with a riverside view of the mills. In addition, during the open season, a visitor’s mill on the Nederwaard is open for daily visits from the public. The mill’s interior is dominated by its impressive wheels and blades and a miller is on-hand to explain the techniques behind the running of the mill. There is also the opportunity to gain a first-hand insight of the way in which the mill’s living quarters were once arranged and furnished. On Saturday afternoons throughout July and August, all of the windmills are operational and visitors can choose from a range of walking and cycling routes to view the mills. In the first full week of September there is the chance to witness the visual spectacle of the mills illuminated (Mills under floodlight). Moving forward, there are plans to introduce more events and activities and Director Hans Broekmeulen has ambitious ideas for Kinderdijk: "This year we will begin building Hoogaars, the traditional wooden boats that we want to use for trips around the boezems. We also plan to open a proper visitors centre, complete with catering facilities, and offering information on Dutch water management over the centuries. Our hope is that we can offer real value to the public." |
