Meet the windmills


The first windmills were invented in antiquity, but it was the Dutch who really hit it off with this wooden giant. In a flat country, where the wind always blows, windmills sprouted from the ground like mushrooms. They were used to mill, saw, pump and press. The production of boards, paint, oil and paper, as well as bread and mustard – among other things – depended on windmills and wind. In addition, windmills were used to pump the water out of lakes and to keep reclaimed land dry.

Functions of windmills
Functions of windmills

Historically, windmills in Holland served many purposes, draining the wetlands being first.

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Types of windmills in Holland
Types of windmills in Holland

Holland still has over 1,000 historic vertical mills, more than any other country.

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Wind energy in Holland
Wind energy in Holland

Windmills in Holland have harnessed the power of the wind for centuries.

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National Mill Day
National Mill Day

Visit millers and help turn the sails of hundreds of Dutch mills.

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Authentic beauty

“Unique in its kind,” announced Napoleon when he arrived at the Zaanse Schans. 600 windmills made up the world’s first industrial area. Today, the 250-year-old windmill park is a fascinating open-air museum. The five biggest windmills in the world are located in the centre of Schiedam. The windmills of Schiedam are over 130 feet (40 m) high and played a major role in gin production. When it comes to beauty, the 19 polder draining windmills of the Kinderdijk win first prize. Kinderdijk is a UNESCO site and a masterpiece of water management in a typical Dutch landscape. Keep your camera at the ready, because there are more than a thousand windmills in the Netherlands that you can capture on film.


Holland's most beautiful windmills