Kinderdijk
De-watering large part of an entire country, and maintaining it that way against ever changing forces of nature not just sounds incredulous, but plain absurd—even if you’re foolish enough to think this might be remotely possible. But that is exactly what the Dutch have achieved. For once, the most popular local tag: “God created the world, but the Dutch created the Netherlands” doesn’t sound like a cliché.
In this grand scheme of things, Windmills have played a vital role in powering these de-watering systems. Kinderdijk—a village near Rotterdam is a living proof of these systems, with about nineteen of them from the 18th century, still dot the water canals near this village. This UNESCO heritage site gives visitors a rare glimpse of that subtle human challenge and the will to survive against all odds.
This afternoon we drove over a 50km distance to enjoy this quaint but lovely village, whose countryside spreads like a breath of fresh air.
Address for your GPS navigator: Molenstraat 236, 2961 AR Kinderdijk.