The Kinderdijk windmills are a group of 19 historic windmills located in the Alblasserwaard polder, in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. Most of the windmills are part of the village of Kinderdijk, which is in the municipality of Molenlanden. One windmill, called De Blokker, is in the municipality of Alblasserdam. These windmills were built in 1738 and 1740 to help keep water out of the polder. They are the largest group of old windmills in the Netherlands and one of the most famous tourist attractions in the country. The windmills are protected as national monuments, and the entire area has been a protected village view since 1993. Since 1997, the windmills have been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and they are officially named the Mill Network at Kinderdijk-Elshout.

History

Kinderdijk is located in the Alblasserwaard region, where the Lek and Noord rivers meet. In the 13th century, water problems became more noticeable in Alblasserwaard. Large canals, called "weteringen," were built to remove extra water from the polders. However, the drained soil began to sink, while the river levels rose because of sand deposits. Most of the current windmills were built in 1738 and 1740.

After many years, more ways to keep the polders dry were needed. Windmills were built to move water from the polders to a reservoir at a level between the land and the river. When the river level was low enough, the water could flow from the reservoir back into the river through locks. The river level changes with the seasons and tides.

In the 19th century, sinking land and rising water levels required more water pumping than the windmills could provide. The Nederwaard and Overwaard water boards, which owned some of the mills, built steam-powered pumping stations. By the 1920s, one station used electricity, and the other used diesel engines. The brick windmills of Nederwaard were no longer used, but the millers and their families were allowed to live there.

Fuel shortages during World War II forced the water boards to use windmills again briefly, which was the final time they were used for water pumping. After the war, all mills were stopped from being used, and the millers were no longer employed. By this time, people admired the windmills' beauty, which led to opposition when the Overwaard water board planned to tear down the eight octagonal mills. The Kinderdijk windmills had already become a popular tourist spot. The first museum mill (now called the Nederwaard museum mill) opened in the 1950s.

Today, the windmills are still in working condition but are no longer used for water management. Modern water pumping is handled by two electric stations near the entrance of the windmills' site.

Description

The eight brick mills in the Nederwaard were built in 1738, and the wooden mills in the Overwaard were built in 1740. The Nederwaard mills move water from the lower polders of the Alblasserwaard into a reservoir. The Overwaard mills move water from the higher polders into a reservoir. Both reservoirs used to drain water into the river Lek through locks when the river level was low. Today, modern pumping stations are used instead.

This is a list of the 19 mills:

• Nederwaard Molen No.1 (1738)
• Nederwaard Molen No.2 (1738)
• Nederwaard Molen No.3 (1738)
• Nederwaard Molen No.4 (1738)
• Nederwaard Molen No.5 (1738)
• Nederwaard Molen No.6 (1738)
• Nederwaard Molen No.7 (1738)
• Nederwaard Molen No.8 (1738)

• Overwaard Molen No.1 (1740)
• Overwaard Molen No.2 (1740–1981, 1984)
• Overwaard Molen No.3 (1740)
• Overwaard Molen No.4 (1740)
• Overwaard Molen No.5 (1740)
• Overwaard Molen No.6 (1740)
• Overwaard Molen No.7 (1740)
• Overwaard Molen No.8 (1740)

• De Hoge Molen (1740)
• Kleine of Lage Molen (1761)

• De Blokker (1630–1997, 2001)

Modern day

The mills are designated as national monuments, and the entire area has been protected as a village view since 1993. The Kinderdijk-Elshout complex, which includes the mills, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site during the 21st meeting of the World Heritage Committee in 1997. The mills are owned by the Kinderdijk World Heritage Foundation. Today, Kinderdijk is one of the most visited cultural landmarks in the Netherlands, drawing hundreds of thousands of tourists each year. Visitors can explore the windmills through walking paths, bicycle routes, and boat tours. Several mills have been turned into museums.