Dutch windmills are famous worldwide for their unique design and functionality. They are movable-roof windmills first introduced from Germany and used primarily for milling purposes.
The Netherlands, with its flat landscape and abundant wind resources, became an ideal place for windmill development, leading to the country's recognition as the "Land of Windmills."
Located in Western Europe, the Netherlands is a country of just over 10 million people, known as the "Land of the Lowlands." Approximately one-third of the country is just one meter above sea level, while nearly a quarter of it is below sea level.
Despite this challenge, the Dutch people have learned to live with water, and windmills have been a crucial part of their struggle against flooding.
The Netherlands is situated in the Earth's prevailing westerly wind belt, resulting in westerly winds throughout the year. It is also bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, making it a typical maritime climate country.
This combination of factors has compensated for the country's lack of water and power resources, making it possible to use wind power.
Windmills were of particular significance to the Dutch economy during the 16th and 17th centuries.
At that time, the Netherlands held a prime position in the world's commerce, and various raw materials were transported from various waterways to windmills for processing.
The suburbs of Rotterdam and Amsterdam, the great ports of Holland, housed many windmills, sawmills, and paper mills.
In addition, windmills played a crucial role in the large-scale project of land enclosure by the Dutch people. The first step was to equip windmills with movable canopies, which they mounted on rollers.
This type of windmill became known as the Dutch-style windmill, a testament to the Dutch people's innovation.
Dutch windmills are several stories high, with wind wings up to 20 meters long. Some windmills are made of whole pieces of large crushed wood.
In the late 18th century, there were about 12,000 windmills throughout the Netherlands, grinding grain, coarse salt, tobacco, oil, tweed, felt, and paper, and removing water from swamps.
Windmills constantly sucked and drained water, safeguarding two-thirds of the country from the threat of sinking and man-made fish and turtles.
With the development of steam engines, internal combustion engines, and turbines in the 20th century, windmills relying solely on wind power became less prevalent.
However, wind power is still a clean and sustainable source of energy. Today, there are approximately 2,000 windmills of all kinds in the Netherlands, attracting people with their historical significance and renewable energy potential.
Dutch people take pride in their windmills and often praise them in folk songs and proverbs.
Windmill buildings are always decorated as nicely as possible, especially during great festivals when they are adorned with garlands of flowers, flags, and cardboard suns and stars.
