Kinderdijk Windmills in Zuid Holland

When one thinks of the Netherlands, several things come to mind: wooden clogs, canals, cheese, and of course, lots of windmills! Windmills are very much part of the Netherlands, and the landscape wouldn't be as scenic or dramatic without those mills!

If you share my passion for windmills as much as I do, when visiting the Netherlands, treat yourself to a trip to the village of Kinderdijk, the only place in the world where you'll find the largest concentration of operational windmills! There are nineteen windmills at Kinderdijk, and they were built between the years of 1500 and 1740. All specimens are well-preserved, and in 1997, the windmills were put on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

About the Kinderdijk Windmills:

More than half of the Netherlands is reclaimed land which lies under sea level, making the land prone to flooding. During the 13th century, periodic flooding became problematic, so canals were built to get rid of the excess water in the reclaimed land areas, called the Alblasserwald polders.

To keep flooding under control, the windmills at Kinderdijk were built to drain the excess water from the polders, and they would pump the excess water into a reservoir until level of the Lek River was lowered. However, in the 1860's the windmills could not cope with the amount of water coming into the polders, and as a result, pumping stations, powered by diesel fuel were set up, and the windmills were retired.

During World War II, diesel fuel became scarce, and it became difficult to operate the pumping stations, thus, the Kinderdijk windmills were brought out of retirement, and they were fully-operational until 1945, but were quickly closed down again when fuel became available. However, these noble windmills are not out of commission forever, as they can still be used in case of an emergency!

Types of Windmills at Kinderdijk:

~ The oldest mill was built in 1521, and it is the only example of a hollow post mill, found anywhere.

~ Two windmills built around 1760 are made of stone, and are located in the polder Nieuw-Lekkerland.

~ There are eight stone or brick windmills on the side of the river DeNederwaard. They were built in 1738, and these are known as "bonnet or rotating cap" mill, meaning that only the top section revolves in the wind. These windmills are also called "ground sailers" because their massive sails come within inches from the ground; these windmills are a beautiful sight to behold when in full spin!

~ And finally, there are eight thatched-roof windmills built around the 1740's, located on the side of the DeOverwaard River. These mills are also bonnet mills, but are built from wood and are octagonal in shape.

Where is Kinderdijk?

The village of Kinderdijk is located about 15kms from Rotterdam. The village is located in the Alblasserwald polders, an area approximately 10x20 miles, at the confluence of the Lek and Noord Rivers.

What's the best time to visit?

Since Kinderdijk is a regular village and not a park or a tourist attraction, the windmills may be visited any time of year. There is no admission fee of any kind, and you may walk around the windmill area as often as you wish.

During the summer months of July and August, all the windmills are fully operational every Saturday, but only one mill is open for viewing throughout the year. A visit to the Visitor's Mill is suggested as it will give you a good idea of how the millers and their families lived. Typical furnishings to fit the small space of a windmill are on display and it makes you wonder how a family could live in such a small, octagonal space! Of course, when you enter the Visitor's Mill, for full-effect, you'll see yellow wooden shoes sitting right outside the door!

During the entire second week in September, all windmills are lighted at night, an event called "Mills in Floodlight" which attracts hundreds of visitors.

How to get to Kinderdijk:

Boat Excursion on the "Nehalennia":

We took the boat excursion boat from Rotterdam; the boat leaves Rotterdam at 10:45 am and 2:15pm, and excursions are offered daily from mid-April to the end of September. If you wish to listen to a narration of what you're seeing along the way, headphones are provided, and the narration is available in various languages. Refreshments are sold on board; on a sunny day like ours, it was definitely a relaxing and pleasant way to travel to Kinderdijk.

We didn't return to on the boat because it only stays at the dock for 45 minutes before returning to Rotterdam. Forty-five minutes to tour Kinderdijk is an insufficient amount of time to allow us to take the canal boat tour, and then walk around the area and see the Visitor's windmill; so, we took Bus No.90, from the Village, back to Centraal Station in Rotterdam.

Cost: The round-trip by boat takes three hours and adult tickets cost 12.50 Euro and 10.00 Euro for children age 12 and under. The hotel concierge can call REBUS (the boat company operating the Nehalennia) and make phone reservations on your behalf.

By Public Transportation:

From Rotterdam's Centraal Station, take the subway to Rotterdam Zuidplein and then Bus #90 directly to Kinderdijk. Trip duration is around 45 minutes and you'll get to see part of the country-side and small cities on the way. Not all bus drivers speak English, so make sure you are carrying a map and plenty of coins, as the bus driver doesn't make change.

From Amsterdam: take any of the frequent trains to Rotterdam, and then follow the above instructions. However, keep in mind that if you're coming from Amsterdam it's best to get started early in the morning, as it will be a full-day event.

What to do at Kinderdijk:

Okay, so you've made it to Kinderdijk, now, what is there to do?

1. Canal Tour:

If you're pressed for time and want to return on the boat to Rotterdam, then take only the Canal Tour which will take 30-minutes.

The tour boat itself is small and accommodates only 20 passengers, but the smallness of the boat makes it easy to get close to the windmills.

The duration of the fully-narrated tour is half-hour, and it will take you to the last windmill of the Overwaard River. The Canal Tour is only available from May 1 - September 30, and reservations cannot be made; it's first come, first served only.

The first tour is at 10:00 am, and the last one departs at 5:00 pm.

Persons with disabilities:

The brochure states that the Canal Boat is accessible to persons on a wheelchair, but it isn't as simple as it sounds. If the person is unable to get-up from the wheelchair, then it requires two-three people to lower an adult sitting in a wheelchair into the boat. We saw this in progress, and it was a supremely difficult task, so, please keep this in mind.

For the best photographic angles, I suggest sitting at the very front!

Cost of Canal Tour: €2.50, children 4-9 €2.0, under 4, Free.

2. Walking or Bicycle riding around the Kinderdijk windmills:

In addition to the Canal Boat Tour, another very pleasant way to see the windmills during the warmer months is to walk or bicycle through the Kinderdijk area, and admire these giants from the ground up! Take your time and meander through the area; it's an unforgettable experience!

For a fee of €3.00, you can go inside the Visitor's Mill, a fully-operational windmill; here you can see how the millers lived. If you're lucky, a miller may be present and you may ask questions.

During the summer season, the Visitor's Windmill is open 7 days a week from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm. Off-season, the mill is only open to groups.

Restaurants/Overnight Accommodations:

You'll be pleased to know that there are several restaurants and a couple of B&B's right in Kinderdijk and nearby villages

For a list of accommodations, please checkout:

http://www.kinderdijk.nl/direct/webdir_hotel.htm

Closing thoughts about Kinderdijk:

On our two previous trips to the Netherlands, it was winter-time, it was freezing, and we didn't have the time to dedicate a full day required to see the Kinderdijk windmills. On our recent trip, however, we stayed in the city of Rotterdam, the last week of September, and the weather was just perfect!

I was not disappointed... the windmills are everything I imagined them to be and were so much bigger than anticipated! Definitely worth seeing and highly recommend this day-trip. If you are traveling to the Netherlands in an organized tour, make sure Kinderdijk is included in your itinerary!

Getting to Kinderdijk was so easy... and after seeing them, I realized that, on a beautiful sunny day, even the journey from Amsterdam-Kinderdijk may be well-worth it!