The Windmills of Kinderdijk

Think of Netherlands, and the images that come to mind are vast plains with canals, dikes, windmills. For the uninitiated, most parts of the Netherlands lie below sea level, and over the centuries, the Dutch have managed to push back the sea and reclaim land with an elaborate system of windmills and canals. No other place in the country has such a high concentration of old windmills as Kinderdijk, with its 19 mills.

Series of windmills

Kinderdijk is situated around 15 kms east of Rotterdam. Its name literally means Child’s Dike, and like all famous places has a legend attached to it. During a great flood in 1421, a child in a cradle was kept afloat by a cat jumping back and forth, and finally the cradle rested on a dike, and the child was saved. Hence, the name Kinderdijk.

Historically, this place has seen its flooding problems worsening since the 13th century, and after building a series of canals and dikes to drain the water from the low-lying areas into the nearby river, the people finally resorted to building a series of windmills. 19 windmills were built around 1740, which harnessed the power of the wind to turn paddle-wheels, which in turn drained the water into the river. All the windmills are still in perfect condition, and one of them is still operational. Visitors are allowed to enter this windmill, and see the working from inside.

Today, Kinderdijk is UNESCO world heritage site, and provides the visitor a glimpse in to 18th century Dutch society. The windmills are used as houses by the farmers living there, which is reminiscent of the old ages. There are many options to visit the place. I drove down to Kinderdijk, and then walked among the windmills. There is lots of trivia put up all over the place, which is interesting to read as you walk around. You can even hire bicycles and ride around the area, taking in the beauty of the place, or ride in a fancy horse-drawn carriage if you please. There are also boat trips available from Rotterdam, and for the well-heeled, trips from the air.

Reflections of a Windmill

If you are a photography buff like me, then you should go here towards sunset, and I guarantee you the best photo-ops. You will get to see many varieties of birds and butterflies here. And don’t worry about dinner. Just at the entrance of the site, there is a nice little restaurant with a charming decor and delicious food.

For season-wise opening and closing hours, and other visiting information, you can visit the official website. They also have a very handy navigation address that you can feed into your GPS navigation device if you plan to drive down.

Tags: History, Holland, Kinderdijk, Outdoors, Photo-ops, Windmills

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