These are the windiest places on the planet

[BTSS]

Fucking spammer

 

[jw5]

Zaanse Schans​

Zaanse Schans is similar to Kinderdijk in the sense that it’s a windmill park, but Zaanse Schans is by far the most popular of the two.

There are plenty of things to do in the area too, where you can actually go inside many of the windmills and some are museums and shops.

Take a bike ride around the area, enjoy a walking tour or explore some of the local shops. It’s also easy to reach Zaanse Schans from Amsterdam.

 

[jw5]

Molen de Valk​

Molen de Valk is found in the beautiful city of Leiden, home of DutchReview. It’s been there since the start of the 17th century, so it’s certainly one of Leiden’s pride and joys.

I have to walk past it every time I go to the DR’s office and it dominates the area. The mill was originally used for grain and now it’s a little museum.

Don’t forget to visit Leiden and take a visit to the windmill. It’s great for your Instagram and it’s a great place to be in general.

 

[jw5]

The windmills of Schiedam​

If you’re after impressive windmills, then Schiedam is your place. Schiedam is home to some of the highest windmills in the whole world — equal to eleven floors high!


The purpose of these huge windmills was to grind grain, as they used this to produce Jenever — making it a famous city for the product. You can learn all about this inside one of the windmills (De Walvisch), which has been transformed into a museum.

 

[jw5]

Molen de Adriaan​

Haarlem is another beautiful city sporting an iconic windmill. This windmill has been around since the 18th century but was completely destroyed in a storm in the 1930s.

It was later rebuilt and made into a museum which tells you about the Netherlands and windmills and how these transformed the country. Not only is the windmill great to visit, but Haarlem itself is beautiful and is well worth a visit.

So if you haven’t been there already, it’s not too far from Amsterdam (if you’re a tourist), so go!

 

[jw5]

De Gooyer​

Looking for windmills in Amsterdam? Here you can find De Gooyer, which is one of Amsterdam’s most famous windmills. It was built in the early 16th Century, so it’s certainly old.

It’s not in the place where it was first built, as it has been moved around Amsterdam. You’ll find the windmill turning on the first Saturday of the month, so it’s the perfect time to see it in action while on your Saturday morning walk.

 

[jw5]

De Dikkert​

De Dikkert is an old sawmill, which used to be in Zaandam. However, now it’s now a corn mill and is found in Amstelveen. It is now restored. Therefore, again, if you’re around the Amsterdam area, then it’s the perfect place to visit.

What makes it unique is that it is a restaurant too — so if you’re ever want to say you’ve eaten in an old windmill in Holland, then here’s your chance!

 

[jw5]

Free windmill day! National Mill Day​

A perfect time to visit windmills is on National Mill Day which falls on the second Saturday and Sunday in May every year. On this day, you can enter hundreds of different windmills for free.

Also, it’s the day to witness all the windmills turning, so it’s certainly a unique day in the Netherlands and the perfect day to see all of the windmills for yourself (if only you get around them all that is).

 

[jw5]

12 World Heritage Sites in the Netherlands: the country’s best monuments

1. Schokland​

World Heritage Site in the Netherlands since 1995

Schokland and its surroundings possess a mysterious past as an archaeological monument and former island. This World Heritage Site lies within the centre of Noordoostpolder and is steeped in cultural history.

The Schokland museum. Image: FaceMePLS/Flickr

It’s home to a sweet old church, a lighthouse keeper’s house, and the Schokland Museum. According to Statistics Netherlands, just five people are living there!?

Due to the rising sea level, residents of Schokland had retreated to the three most elevated parts of the land by the 19th century — until a major flood in 1825. Archaeologists found a wealth of largely undamaged treasures buried in the ground.

There is evidence of human habitation going back more than 10,000 years (that’s prehistoric yo!), and they’ve dug up all sorts of things, from earthenware, tools, and man-made mounds, to the remains of houses and churches — and even entire graves. Eeek!

 

[jw5]

2. The Defence Line of Amsterdam​

World Heritage Site in the Netherlands since 1996

Also known as the Stelling van Amsterdam. This monument is a ring of 46 forts, stretching more than 135 kilometres around the city. The line of defence was erected to protect the national stronghold built between 1883 and 1920.

As well as the fortifications, the ring consists of an intricate system of dikes, sluices, canals, and inundation polders. In the Middle Ages, the Dutch created a defence system based on these inundations, referring to its flooding areas.

If people were to attack, the lower parts of the country could be flooded to make the area impassible. Genius thinking to make use of what you’ve got, Dutchies!

 

[ginfreely]

2. The Defence Line of Amsterdam​

World Heritage Site in the Netherlands since 1996

Also known as the Stelling van Amsterdam. This monument is a ring of 46 forts, stretching more than 135 kilometres around the city. The line of defence was erected to protect the national stronghold built between 1883 and 1920.

As well as the fortifications, the ring consists of an intricate system of dikes, sluices, canals, and inundation polders. In the Middle Ages, the Dutch created a defence system based on these inundations, referring to its flooding areas.


View attachment 151255

If people were to attack, the lower parts of the country could be flooded to make the area impassible. Genius thinking to make use of what you’ve got, Dutchies!

Wow so smart.

 

[jw5]

3. Willemstad, Inner City and Harbour, Curaçao​

World Heritage Site in the Netherlands since 1997

Willemstad is a town on the Caribbean Island of Curaçao. Yes, you read that right; if you didn’t already know, some municipalities of the Netherlands are located in the Caribbean Sea!

Willemstad, a cute and colourful port town, is where the Dutch established a trading settlement. The site has become a symbol of a growing multicultural community within the Netherlands.

 

[jw5]

4. The Windmills at Kinderdijk​

World Heritage Site in the Netherlands since 1997

In South Holland, the Windmills of Kinderdijk-Elshout is a charming Dutch mill network and a famous man-made landscape built between 1738 and 1740. The area is constructed similarly to the Defence Line of Amsterdam, with polders, embankments and dikes.

It has 19 drainage mills, three pumping stations, two discharge sluices and two Water Board Assembly Houses, which work for the drainage of the land. The windmills essentially keep water out of the polder.

The technology of handling water​

Maybe not the most exciting sub-header you’ve ever seen, but this is a vital part of the history of the Netherlands. The Dutch made a huge contribution to this type of technology, and these historic windmills can be seen as a way of paying homage to that (in addition to them being a pretty sight).

 

[jw5]

5. The D.F. Wouda Steam Pumping Station​

World Heritage Site in the Netherlands since 1998

Another celebration of technology! They weren’t kidding when they said the Netherlands was the land of water. This World Heritage Site is a steam-powered pumping station, which pumps excess water out of Friesland.

It is the largest station of its kind that’s still in use, which is pretty impressive considering it opened in 1920. It now runs on heavy fuel oil and can pump up to 4,000 cubic meters of water per minute!

The Woudagemaal is located in a busy seaside town called Lemmer. There’s a visitor entrance that provides you with all the site’s history, an interactive museum experience that the kids will love, and regular tours.

 

[jw5]

6. The Beemster Polder​

World Heritage Site in the Netherlands since 1999

Since the 17th century, the Beemster Polder, a beautiful green expanse in North Holland, has been incredibly well-preserved. The whole place used to be mostly water — a lake.

Now, thanks to ingenious and intricate planning, it’s an agricultural landscape made up of fields, roads, canals, dikes, and settlements. Middenbeemster, a little town in the countryside with horses, moats, a drawbridge, and a central market square, is sure to be a lovely outing in the summer.

 

[jw5]

7. Rietveld Schröder House​

World Heritage Site in the Netherlands since 2000

Rietveld Schröderhuis, located in Utrecht, is an outstanding piece of architecture designed in 1924 by Gerrit Reitveld. It was built at the request of Truus Schröder-Schräder, whose husband had recently died.

Schröder played an important role in the design process because she knew she wanted it to be simple, spacious, and free. She asked for it to be designed without walls to not constrain her or hide the truth of her emotional life with her three children.

She wanted fluidity and a connection between the inside and outside to mirror their new commitment to openness.

Mrs Schröder lived in the house until she died in 1985. The house was restored by Bertus Mulder and is now a museum where you can find out more about her life and the Dutch artistic movement De Stijl, of which the Rietveld Schröder House is an embodiment.

 

[jw5]

8. Wadden Sea​

World Heritage Site in the Netherlands since 2009

The Wadden Sea is an intertidal zone of the North Sea, which means that the area is above water at low tide and underwater at high tide.

Why is a ‘seashore’ on this list? It may be a relatively shallow body of water with tidal flats and wetlands. Still, it is one of the largest unbroken intertidal sand and mudflats systems in the world — and is ridiculously biologically diverse. As well as all the plants and fishies, it’s home to the harbour seal, grey seal, and harbour porpoise.

The Dutch part of the Waddenzee belongs to North Holland, Friesland, and Groningen. It has tidal channels, sandy shoals, sea-grass meadows, mussel beds, sandbars, mudflats, salt marshes, estuaries, beaches, and dunes.

 

[jw5]

9. The Canals of Amsterdam​

World Heritage Site in the Netherlands since 2010

This refers to the historical Canal Ring built in the 17th century. The four main canals are Herengracht, Prinsengracht, Keizersgracht, and the Singel. The surrounding areas form the Amsterdam Canal District (Grachtengordel). These canal belts eventually lead into the Amstel river.

Why not experience this historical, cultural, and romantic part of the city by booking a boat? From fancy culinary cruises to wading the waters DIY style with a paddleboard, there are plenty of ways to enjoy this World Heritage Site.

 

[ginfreely]

7. Rietveld Schröder House​

World Heritage Site in the Netherlands since 2000

Rietveld Schröderhuis, located in Utrecht, is an outstanding piece of architecture designed in 1924 by Gerrit Reitveld. It was built at the request of Truus Schröder-Schräder, whose husband had recently died.

View attachment 151643

Schröder played an important role in the design process because she knew she wanted it to be simple, spacious, and free. She asked for it to be designed without walls to not constrain her or hide the truth of her emotional life with her three children.

She wanted fluidity and a connection between the inside and outside to mirror their new commitment to openness.

Mrs Schröder lived in the house until she died in 1985. The house was restored by Bertus Mulder and is now a museum where you can find out more about her life and the Dutch artistic movement De Stijl, of which the Rietveld Schröder House is an embodiment.

Such a simple looking house is also world heritage site.

 

[jw5]

10. Van Nelle Factory​

World Heritage Site in the Netherlands since 2014

Located on the Schie in Rotterdam is the former Van Nelle Factory (Van Nellefabriek). The architecture of these buildings depicts a Russian Constructivist influence.

“A poem in steel and glass”​

In 2015, the Van Nelle Factory topped the list of The 25 Most Beautiful Factories in the World. Le Corbusier, one of the pioneers of modern architecture, said the building was “the most beautiful spectacle of the modern age” in 1932. Before that, Howard Robertson declared it “a poem in steel and glass” in 1930.