Windmills are an iconic part of Dutch culture, and around 1,200 historic windmills, most of which are still functioning, survive today. Here are some of the best places to see the windmills in the Netherlands.
Kinderdijk Village
Kinderdijk village contains the largest concentration of old Dutch windmills. 19 mills were built in the Alblasserwaard polder at the confluence point of the Lek and Noord rivers around 1740. The village became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. The village is also remarkable due to its human-made landscape.
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Zaanse Schans in Zaandam
Between 1961 and 1974, several old buildings from the Zaanstreek region were carried to the Zaanse Schans neighborhood. Therefore, the village mostly consists of relocated historic windmills and wooden houses. Only two of the windmills in the village were originally constructed in Zaanse Schans.
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De Schermer
De Schermer village used to contain 52 older mills constructed for regaining land from Schermer Lake. These mills could pump out up to 60 000 l of water per minute for this great project. In 1635, after three years of working, the lake completely disappeared. Today, 11 of the windmills remain, one of which is the Museum Mill in Schermerhorn where one can learn more about the project.
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