Windmills
“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 ready, because there are more than a thousand windmills in the Netherlands that you can capture on film.
The best windmills in Holland
Visit the Kinderdijk windmills
Find out why the Kinderdijk windmills are on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
The Zaanse Schans
Experience the traditional way of living in Holland during the 17th and 18th centuries and explore authentic Dutch houses and windmills.
The Windmills of Schiedam
The largest windmills in the world.
Molen de Adriaan
The rebuilt Molen de Adriaan windmill sits on the scenic Spaarne River in Haarlem.
Molen de Valk
The Molen de Valk is a windmill built in 1785 and is one of the most recognizable sites in the city of Leiden.
Brouwerij 't IJ
Fresh-brewed Dutch beer at the foot of the Molen de Gooyer in Amsterdam at the Brouwerij 't IJ.
Visit National Windmill Day
Visit millers and help turn the sails of hundreds of Dutch mills. Read more
Learn more about windmills
Functions of windmills
Historically, windmills in Holland served many purposes, draining the wetlands being first.
Dutch windmills
Windmills are characteristic of the Dutch landscape.
Discover more Dutch icons
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Category: DiscoverCheese
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