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64 VIKING.COM EXPLORE MORE WIND POWER A visit to see the famous windmills of Kinderdijk proved to be the unexpected highlight of a cruise to The Netherlands for journalist Kate Finney

ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN When I woke up on a windy Saturday morning in The Netherlands, I had not anticipated that I would be so moved when I found myself standing in a pair of wooden clogs by an old windmill. The happy noises of children playing nearby in rowboats, a few residents swimming in the waterway and the sight of the neat gardens of neighboring mills scattered across the serene landscape made it easy to drift back into the past. Consisting of a network of 19 windmills in the low-lying polder—or reclaimed—lands of The Netherlands, Kinderdijk dates back to medieval times. Families of millers still inhabit and operate some of the windmills, but three of them are now museum mills. Roughly translated as “children’s dike,” the name Kinderdijk is thought to originate from the infamous St. Elizabeth’s Flood of 1421, which swept away the poorly maintained dikes protecting the polders, taking thousands of lives. Once survivors dared to venture out of their homes to survey the damage, a cradle was seen bobbing up and down on the water, carrying a crying baby. A cat balanced on the cradle to keep it afloat and the baby was saved, hence the name of the area. I had thought visiting windmills might feel a bit touristy, but the reality was more like experiencing a very real piece of living history. Simple white linen clothes were dancing on the washing lines, and the rhythmic noise of the mills’ swooshing sails rotating was slightly intimidating—it was a remarkably windy day. Sadly, accidents have happened— miller Cees Hoek was widowed in 1916 after his wife, Alie, tried to move one of their 13 children out of harm’s way. On such a windy day, it is easy to imagine how the power of the wind could change an entire landscape. The clever system of windmills and pumping stations has been keeping the area dry for nearly 1,000 years. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997, Kinderdijk, like some 40% of The Netherlands, lies below sea level. Not only are the windmills used to remove water from the landscape, but they can also flow water back to land when needed during times of drought. Along the waterway, we entered the Nederwaard Museum Mill just as two millers were heaving the creaking top section around so that the sails were facing into the wind. It was a mighty beast of a windmill, yet inside there were countless homely objects conjuring up what life would have been like: a kitchen area, pots and pans, beautifully embroidered linen curtains, and bedsteads that you can lie in. Further along, at the Blokweer Museum Mill, we wandered around the vegetable garden, fed the goats and rabbits, tried on clogs and attempted to wash clothes using a mangle. Dating back to 1630, this mill features a scoop wheel, which moves the water, and is incredibly evocative of what life would have been like on a daily basis. The romance of it all is only somewhat shattered by imagining how hard the millers must have worked. Back at the Wisboom visitor center, I was surprised to find an interactive installation in the repurposed pump house, encouraging people to see how well they would fare as millers. The large model featured the Kinderdijk Windmills, as well as changing weather conditions and water levels. Not only do visitors need to turn their miniature mills depending on the wind direction, but they need to work as a team, which is vital for success and not at all easy. But it was great fun, and the perfect way to demonstrate the necessary skills that have been honed over the centuries. Today, all 19 of the windmills are still operational, and many continue to be handed down from one generation to the next. Yet for a UNESCO Site, it was not at all packed. While there were lots of visitors wandering around, it was HISTORY OF KINDERDIJK In the 13th century, Count Floris V of Holland presided over the foundation of district water boards, an innovative and cooperative organization that saw residents working together to keep their lands dry. Three water boards were founded here: Alblasserwaard, Overwaard and Nederwaard, which were merged into the Water Board Rivierenland. A system of ditches and watercourses was used to lead the water from the polders to the low point at the western tip of the area. That point is Kinderdijk. Here, a set of four sluices—two for each water board—was built to let the water flow out into the river at low tide. Known as the Elshout sluices, these were the first technological leap in the water management system you can still see at work today. Looking back, the establishment of the water boards was an important step toward the modern democracy of The Netherlands. Local residents were united in their quest to control and harness the power of the wind and the water. The water board directorship was elected through a vote, a political tradition that still determines how The Netherlands is governed today. Over the following centuries, the system was improved. The water in the lower basin can now be lifted up into the upper basin in the event of excess water, but it can also be redirected back into the polder canals in times of drought. easy to see beyond them and soak in the peace of the place. And the clogs were surprisingly comfortable. GETTING THERE: The 8-day Rhine Getaway journey sets sail from Basel to Amsterdam, or in reverse. Above: A traditional thatched shed on the grounds of the Blokweer Museum Mill Facing page: The sun setting over the Kinderdijk Windmills EXPLORE MORE VIKING.COM 65