Kinderdijk

Kinderdijk is a small town in the Netherlands, which lies about 15 kilometers south-east of Rotterdam, in the province of South Holland. The village belongs to the municipality Molenwaard on the lowland Alblasserwaard and lies on the polder Nederwaard. In the northwest, the rivers flow Lek and Noord, which include the location of two sides together to Nieuwen Maas. The place is known for its mills, which have been included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1997.

The name " Kinderdijk " (Children's dike ) may be explained according to a legend as follows: When Elisabeth flood of 1421 a cradle should be purged with a crying child and a cat intact on the dike. Another legend, however, that the dike is to be the result of child labor. The first farmers settled as early as 1000 AD in the area.

Near the village are located along the two rivers, many small yards. To the east and southeast are the polder polder Overwaard and Blokweer, which are mostly used for agriculture.

The windmills of Kinderdijk

The windmills of Kinderdijk are one of the most famous sights in the Netherlands. It is a group of 19 wind pumps, which serve to pump the accumulated water out of the polders, so as to make the soil suitable for agriculture. The mills pump the water into the Nieuwen Waterschap, which flows into the river Lek. They were built in the 18th century, after the older channel systems proved to be very effective.

The waterways that separate the polder from each other, dividing the mills in several groups:

• West of Nieuwen Waterschap on which Nederwaard -Polder, there are eight circular mills of red bricks that were built all in 1738.
• On the Overwaard -Polder in the east, eight octagonal wooden mills directly on the waterway as well as three similar mills are a little further inside the polder. Except for one of the mills in the " polder inside " (1761 ) all were built in 1740.
• On the polder Blokweer, southeast of Kinderdijk, there is an individual mill made ​​of wood, the Blokweerse moles. It is also known by the nickname " De Blokker ". The year of manufacture of the original mill is unknown. " De Blokker " often fell victim to fires, most recently in 1997. Since 2001, the mill is rebuilt and restored. This mill is also the only one from the group, in which the impeller is outside of the mill and is visible from the outside.

Nowadays, pumps ( first diesel pumps, electric pumps today ) over the work of the mills. Nevertheless, the mills are still very popular. They are taken on special occasions, such as the Landelijke Molendag ( Nationwide mill day ) back into operation. One of the mills on the Nederwaard -Polder is even visible from the inside, while some others are privately owned and used as a family home.