We stopped in Kinderdijk to see the windmills. Our tour started at 10:30 am and lasted 2 hours. The ship docked at the windmills and we walked a total of 2 km. There were 33 people on our tour.
Kinderdijk is a Unesco World Heritage Site with 19 windmills. The windmills are operated by miller families who work the windmills to drain the polder fields of water and discharge them into nearby rivers. The miller families live in the windmills. There is a waiting list to get into one of these windmills. You must have a miller license but the rent is inexpensive at €400/month.
The pumping station.
Water is pumped out of the fields using these large pumps.
Blacksmith area inside the pumping station.
The modern pumps.
Interactive display showing how to move the windmill tops to catch the wind.
Workshop where windmill equipment is made.
The legend of the Cat in the Cradle. It was thought that Kinderdijk derived its name from a child who was found in a cradle in the fields. A cat helped to keep the basket balanced. Unfortunately, this legend proved to be a lie.
We did a walking tour but you could also take a barge tour.
The Nederwaard Windmill is open as a museum. There are several steep sets of stairs so it may not be suitable for all guests. At one time, there were 14 people living within the windmill.
The beds were not long. These must have been for the children because the Dutch are very tall people.
An old Singer sewing machine is on display.
The stove.
The. windmill was built in 1738.
Modern pumping stations help the windmills pump the water these days.
2022 07 16
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