Kinderdijk

Overview

Kinderdijk is a UNESCO World Heritage Site featuring 19 iconic 18th-century windmills along a polder waterway, about 15 km east of Rotterdam. It is the most concentrated collection of historic windmills in the Netherlands.

Highlights

• 19 Windmills: Two rows of windmills along the Overwaard and Nederwaard polders, dating from the 1740s.
• Museum Windmill: Enter a fully furnished windmill to see how a miller's family lived and worked.
• Polder Landscape: The flat, open landscape with canals, reed beds, and water management infrastructure.

History

The windmills were built around 1740 to pump water from the Alblasserwaard polder to the Lek River. This ingenious water management system kept the low-lying land habitable. UNESCO inscribed Kinderdijk in 1997 as a masterpiece of Dutch hydraulic engineering.

Visitor Tips

• Tip 1: Rent a bicycle to cycle along the full windmill row — far more enjoyable than walking.
• Tip 2: Visit in the evening for the Kinderdijk in Light events (seasonal).
• Duration: 2–3 hours.