March 2001 › Kinderdijk Windmills › Kinderdijk Windmills - Page 2 Other Months › Index page

Kinderdijk Windmills Sunday, March 04, 2001; posted by Paris Today we went to Kinderdijk just Southwest of Rotterdam. After driving along narrow dijks, we made it to a historical site that has about 16 windmills (molen in Dutch). It was cold and grey, but nice enough for a walk through the area. We took some fotos (Lisa took most) and present them to you. Most of the windmills here are from the 1700's. The details of the windmills are copied from the information boards found on the path. This is the Albasserwaard peat-bog area which drained into peat-bog rivers. The rising water level in the rivers and the settling of the soil resulted in flooding. The inhabitants solved the problem by building dams and sluices at the estuaries of the rivers. This permitted them to control the water levels in the river. In the 1700's, water was stored in basins and the flow was controlled by windmills. The system was improved by steam-powered pumps, which were added in the 1800's. Today modern pumping stations control the water in this area. A row of windmills on the canal. A view of the mills from the road. Another mill. Some more mills. Another one.