Top 10 Incredible Facts about Windmills of Kinderdijk

The Windmills of Kinderdijk. Photo by Tarod. Wikimedia Commons.

Top 10 Incredible Facts about Windmills of Kinderdijk

The windmills at Kinderdijk are a group of 19 monumental windmills in the Alblasserwaard polder, in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. Most of the mills are part of the village of Kinderdijk. Kinderdijk lies in the Alblasserwaard, at the confluence of the Lek and Noord rivers. It is located about 15 km (9 miles) east of Rotterdam.

Built in 1738 and 1740, to keep water out of the polder, it is the largest concentration of old windmills in the Netherlands and one of the best-known Dutch tourist sites. Let’s look at the Top 10 Incredible Facts about Windmills of Kinderdijk.

1. The windmills were built to pump water out of low-lying polders

The Windmills of Kinderdijk. Photo by Lidia Fourdrane. Wikimedia Commons.

These 19 windmills don’t do the heavy lifting all on their own. They’re part of a complex water management system that includes weirs, sluices, basins and the low tide of the river Lek.

As the sails turned, the windmills would pump water up out of polder channels into basins that contained the water until the tide lowered on the River Lek. Then the sluices would open to release all of the water.

2. No one knows where “Kinderdijk” really got its name

The most famous story behind the name Kinderdijk is from a legendary tale of a flood in 1421. As the floodwaters subsided, survivors discovered a floating cradle with a cat balancing on the edges, and a happy baby nestled inside. From then on, the location was referred to as the “Child’s dike”.

Maybe, however, the most well-known explanation is not the most accurate. Other theories include that the dike was named after a local with lots of children: Jan der kindere (Jan with the kids); that the dike was simply lower compared to surrounding dikes, so was referred to as the “child” dike; or that upon the death of a certain Mr Van der Giessen, the (management of the) property was inherited by his children. The real explanation may well be lost to history!

3. It is a protected world heritage treasure

In 1997, UNESCO added the Kinderdijk windmill network to its listing of World Heritage sites. The listing applauded them as a fine example of “the outstanding contribution made by the people of the Netherlands” to the technology of water management.

In this way, Kinderdlijk is not only a physical monument of windmills in a man-made landscape, but also a symbolic monument to “human ingenuity and fortitude over nearly a millennium” in struggling against, depending on, and working with water.

4. The idea of windmills was introduced by Count Floris V

Floris V of Holland. Photo by Unknown author. Wikimedia Commons.

Count Floris V, who ruled medieval Holland, had grown tired of lords and nobles squabbling over regularly flooded land. So, in 1277, he founded the first water board, where the nobility was required to work together to maintain dry land.

By cooperating, they were able to construct dikes, windmills and other infrastructure to drain the land and reduce flooding. The windmills at Kinderdijk may never have seen the light of day if it wasn’t for the Overwaard and Nederwaard Water Boards that constructed and operated them.

5. The windmills are a marvel of modern water engineering

They may be impressive structures, but the Kinderdijk mills can’t take all the credit for keeping local polders dry. They are actually part of a complex water management system that includes sluices, weirs and basins. Even the low tide of the river Lek is an essential ingredient.

When their sails turned, the windmills would pump water up out of polder channels into basins that contained the water until low tide on the river Lek, when sluices could be opened to release the water. At this part of the process, gravity and clever timing do the work.

6. Kinderdijk windmills saved the day in WWII

Even though the mills at Kinderdijk were replaced by steam-powered, then diesel and electric water pumps, they are still kept in good working order and can be put into action any time, either for show or in case of power failure.

During WWII, diesel shortages meant that the Dutch couldn’t generate enough power. Therefore, they were forced to return to wind power to keep their feet dry. Today, the Dutch generate 4% of their power through modern wind turbines. The historic mills at Kinderdijk can still sometimes be seen turning on national and regional Mills Days (Molendagen).

7. There are 10,000 tourists to every resident of Kinderdijk

Up close photo of The windmills at Kinderdijk. Photo by Baykedevries. Wikimedia Commons.

The windmills at Kinderdijk are one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Netherlands. The small village of Kinderdijk is home to 60 permanent residents. Yet in 2019, up to 600,000 visitors were enticed to visit the site of these historic mills. That means there was a ratio of 10,000 visitors to every resident.

8. The windmills were replaced by water pumps

The mills at Kinderdijk were eventually replaced by steam-powered water pumps, followed by diesel and then electric water pumps. But whilst they might be retired, the mills at Kinderdijk are kept in good working order. Why? Power failures. Sometimes you can’t beat an old-fashioned windmill.

9. Windmills were used for communication in the past

The mills also serve the purpose of communication apart from pumping water to reclaim land for building projects and starting farms. When there are no cellphones, windmillers in villages make communications by setting sail of their mills to the specific position that the majority understood. Even today, windmillers still engage in this practice, especially during the time of mourning.

10. It has the largest concentration of windmills in Netherlands

Kinderdijk’s nineteen remarkable windmills. Photo by Rudolphous. Wikimedia Commons.

This is the only place in the world can you see so many traditional windmills that are still working. These 19 remarkable windmills stretch out over a wide area with extensive paths to walk or bike. These ingenious structures are unique due to their size and scale. They stand as high as 128 feet tall and are made of brick.