World Heritage Mill Network at Kinderdijk-Elshout - Kinderdijk

The Kinderdijk-Elshout windmill complex has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1997. The nineteen mills are of course beautiful to see and there is a perfect and extensive route along them. The windmills are internationally renowned as a Dutch symbol and attract huge numbers of visitors to Kinderdijk every year. The mills now provide beautiful pictures, but in the past they had a very different task. They were built to prevent the Netherlands from being flooded. A complex of mills, storage basins, sluices and dams were needed to keep the water at a safe distance.

Centuries ago, farmers, citizens and administrators joined forces to form water authorities. If they stopped their work, Kinderdijk would be under water again in no time. This unique example of water management, the Kinderdijk-Elshout Windmill Complex, has therefore rightfully been placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.