Background
The contribution of the Dutch to the technology of handling water is admirably demonstrated at Kinderdijk-Elshout, where hydraulic works for draining land for farming and settlement began in the Middle Ages and have continued without a break. UNESCO says the site shows all the typical features of that technology: dykes, reservoirs, pumping stations, administrative buildings and a series of beautifully preserved windmills.
The 19 mills stand where the Lek and Noord rivers meet, built in 1738 and 1740 to lift water from the sinking polder into a reservoir that could be let out to the river at low tide. Steam pumping stations took over in the 19th century and the brick Nederwaard mills were decommissioned, though millers' families stayed on; a wartime fuel shortage briefly put them back to work. Wikivoyage says some mills still turn, but two diesel stations now do the real work, and the row is best seen on foot or by bicycle.
- 13th c.Canals are dug to drain the Alblasserwaard
- 1738–1740The windmills are built
- 19th c.Steam pumping stations replace the mills
- 1940sFuel shortages bring the mills back into use
- 1997Inscribed as World Heritage
Find Your Way Around
The main parts of the site, in the order most visitors see them
- 1The Nineteen MillsThe largest concentration of old windmills in the Netherlands, along the drainage canals.
- 2Nederwaard MillsThe brick mills of one water board, decommissioned but lived in.
- 3Overwaard MillsThe other row, across the reservoir.
- 4The Pumping StationsSteam, then electricity and diesel: the mills' successors.
- 5Rotterdam's MarkthalThe GoGo guide pairs the mills with the market hall in the afternoon.
Know Before You Go
From Wikivoyage and the GoGo guides
Kinderdijk and Rotterdam
From the GoGo Amsterdam guide · Open the Amsterdam Guide ›
- 10:30Windmills of Kinderdijk2.5 hrsNineteen 18th-century windmills.
- 14:00Rotterdam's Markthal90 minThe modern market hall.
Best Time to Visit
Best months: May–Sep.
Typical highs
Climate: NASA POWER
Pair It With
Other World Heritage sites nearby, by distance
