Kinderdijk Windmills

Overview

YES, you can definitely still join today for our trip to Kinderdijk, as long as there are tickets available on this website (until 5 minutes before departure). We meet at 11h45 at the Schuman Roundabout, next to the KBC Bank.
All practical trip information can be found by clicking here.

Lets visit another unique UNESCO World-Heritage Site. It’s the must-see destination Kinderdijk in the Netherlands. Spread out over almost a mile, the 19 beautiful 18th century windmills were used to keep the polder dry. It’s an incredible example of pre-electricity engineering, and even though these were built hundreds of years ago, they formed the foundation of why the Dutch are world-renowned for their water engineering (particularly the Technical University Delft). During our trip we will visit 2 of these windmills (the other ones are closed), as well as a more modern but still old pumping station. We will also make a boat trip along most of these mills.

Pictures

Program

Just like any other Expat Club trip this day is carefully planned. There is enough time to visit the various places at Kinderdijk, to take pictures and to get a coffee or tea. You are expected to have eaten lunch before departure though, unless you immediately want to go to the restaurant after arrival. Since this is a very busy sight and local traffic conditions may slow us down, the final times may still slightly change before departure (you will be informed by email) and during the day itself.

12h00 – Departure from Brussels
14h00 – Visiting pumping station & visitors Center
15h10 – Boat tour along the windmills
15h40 – Visit to 2 museum windmills
17h30 – Departure to Brussels
19h30 – Return to Brussels

About Kinderdijk

Kinderdijk is located in the province of South Holland, Netherlands, about 15 km east of Rotterdam. To drain the polder, a system of 19 windmills was built around 1740. This group of mills is the largest concentration of old windmills in the Netherlands. The windmills of Kinderdijk are one of the best-known Dutch tourist sites. They have been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1997.

The name Kinderdijk is Dutch for “Children dike”. During the Saint Elizabeth flood of 1421, the Grote Hollandse Waard flooded, but the Alblasserwaard polder stayed unflooded. It is often said that when the horrendous storm had subsided, a villager went to the dike between these two areas to inspect what could be salvaged. In the distance he saw a wooden cradle floating on the water. As it came nearer, some movement was noted, and upon closer investigation, a cat was found, trying to keep it in balance by leaping back and forth in such a manner that water couldn’t flood the cradle. As the cradle eventually came close enough to the dike for a bystander to pick up the cradle, he saw that a baby was quietly sleeping inside it, nice and dry. The cat had kept the cradle balanced and afloat. This folktale and legend has been published as “The Cat and the Cradle” in English.

In the Alblasserwaard, problems with water became more and more apparent in the 13th century. Large canals, called weteringen in Dutch, were dug to get rid of the excess water in the polders. However, the drained soil continued to subside, while the level of the river rose due to the river’s sand deposits. After a few centuries, an additional way to keep the polders dry was required. It was decided to build a series of windmills, with a limited capacity to bridge water level differences, but just able to pump water into a reservoir at an intermediate level between the soil in the polder and the river. The reservoir could be pumped out into the river by other windmills whenever the river level was low enough; the river level has both seasonal and tidal variations. Although some of the windmills are still used, the main water works are provided by two diesel pumping stations near one of the entrances of the windmills site. (Source: Wikipedia)

Transportation

We will travel with a modern 4* luxury coach with reclinable comfort seats and extra leg space. The bus has an onboard toilet and air-conditioning, as well as a DVD system with 3 flatscreen TVs.