Kinderdijk from Hoornaar

From Dirk IV-Platz, 4223NJ Hoornaar, Netherlands
To Dorpsweg 5, 4223NA Hoornaar, Netherlands

Route planning Leisure Cycling

Windmills Kinderdijk

GPS RECORDING from May 27, 2020

The nineteen windmills of Kinderdijk symbolize how the Netherlands manages water. They kept the land dry for a long time, which was plagued by subsidence and flooding: the Alblasserwaard, once a rough and moist marsh area, ultimately colonized and cultivated by humans.


Meadows with grazing animals, pollarded willows and windmills, elongated villages along dikes and rivers, historic farms and blooming high-stem orchards: this is the typical agrarian cultural landscape of the Alblasserwaard and Vijfheerenlanden, the southern boundary of the Green Heart of the Netherlands.


The windmill area of Kinderdijk is located in the Alblasserwaard between Lek and Merwede, about 25 kilometers from Rotterdam. UNESCO listed the area as a World Heritage site in 1997, recognizing the unique character of the windmill area.


Kinderdijk is located at the lowest point of the Alblasserwaard, a marshy polder land that used to be flooded in winter. The windmills can each pump thousands of liters per minute. The water is diverted into the river Lek via the huge reservoirs – the low and high boezems.


In the 19th century, many windmills in the Netherlands were demolished as large steam pumps came into operation. But the waterboards continued to use the windmills. That's why so many windmills still stand together here.


Since Kinderdijk was added to the World Heritage List in 1997, nearly all the windmills in the South Holland village have been restored. However, the restoration of the last windmill is particularly difficult and expensive.