Exploring Dutch Mills of Netherlands in this Pandemic Situation

20/10/2020 

Soumi Das*

This is my first visit to any country outside India. I got an opportunity to visit this beautiful country this year on 8th of January. Europe tour was always one of my dreams and so I was very excited and had planned a lot of stuffs. Being a small country, Netherland is comparatively less populated. The country is mostly flat and most of its land is below the sea level. It has a disciplined mode of transport where everything runs on time. People here are very well mannered and disciplined. 

After I arrived in Netherlands, everything was going fine and I was trying to settle myself down by understanding and learning their culture. But my happiness did not last long, as by the end of February Corona pandemic spread across Europe which is now creating a havoc in the entire world. Corona has impacted our way of living. Slowly everything came to a standstill as offices, school, shops, restaurants etc. were closed and also people were forced to stay inside the four walls. People were asked to work from home as much as possible and schools were conducted online. 

There were various safety measures taken by the government of Netherlands to minimize the spread of this deadly virus. Slowly and steadily after 3 months there was a decline in the count of infected people and also death rate. We were happy and were expecting everything to be back to normal. 

This was the time of summer in Netherlands, where the nature is at its best. Beautiful flowers blooming everywhere and there was a fragrance in the air. All tourists’ attractions were opening up, considering the decline in the rate of COVID-19 counts. People started coming out of their houses and enjoying the sunny weather outside. Children were enjoying summer vacation. 

Seeing all these we could not resist ourselves and designed a plan to go outside and explore the beautiful nature of Netherlands. We all have heard about the famous wind mills of Netherlands. I also wanted to explore the windmills and share with you all my experience. 

Windmills are known worldwide as an iconic symbol of Dutch culture

When we think of windmills, we ultimately think of the Netherlands. Other countries are also home to windmills, but the Netherlands seems to have become famous for its use of windmill, to not only harness the power of the wind but to also change the landscape and grind grain. The sheer volume that exists in this small country is outstanding. 

We probably all know what a windmill is, but to clarify, they are large mills with sails that catch the wind. The energy created by the turning of the sails is used to drain land, extract groundwater or grind grain. Today, modern windmills, called wind turbines are those large metal mills with three sails used to generate electricity. 

When were they discovered? 

The Persians are said to be the inventors of the first windmill in 500 to 900 AD, and many believe that the mill design spread back to Europe via different battles fought during those times. Windmills are said to have appeared in the Netherlands as early as 1200 AD. These windmills were used to grind grains, initially. 

Types of windmills 

There are different kinds of windmills. Some of the traditional windmills are: Polder mill (used to drain out water from low land), Saw mill, Corn mill and Chalk mill. Windmills also come in variousmodels, consisting of various possible shapes and constructions. Differences can be found in the mills operation and how the rump and top are connected. 

Various Types

What were they used for? 

Historically, windmills in Holland served many purposes. The most important probably was pumping water out of the lowlands and back into the rivers beyond the dikes so that the land could be farmed. In the fourteenth century, hollow-post mills were used to drive scoop wheels to drain the wetlands. 

In the 16th century, windmills were also used for the production of anything that needed shredding, mixing or pounding to make it into a viable product. The paper on which the American Declaration of Independence was printed was produced at the Zaanstreek paper mills. 

There were mills for everything; from mustard and cocoa to oil and wood. The sawmills played a pretty important role in the shipbuilding industry, allowing the Netherlands to become a great sea-faring power in the 17th century Dutch Golden Age 

How many are there? 

In the 19th century, there were around 9,000 windmills, with 900 in the Zaan district alone. Nowadays, fewer and fewer windmills are being used, but around 1,200 still exists. A large number of windmills are situated in the province of South Holland. 

Kinderdijk has the most windmills situated in one place in the world and is also listed in the UNESCO’s World Heritage list. These windmills are used to drain the polder (low-land) and are a typical example of the Netherlands' innovative water management systems. 

Extra facts to impress 

Windmills were also used to convey important messages to the public, such as a death or a wedding. The sails were used to warn of Nazi attacks during World War II. Of all the areas with windmills in the Netherlands, the Zaan district was considered the first industrial area in the world with windmills running virtually day and night to process goods. 

My Experience 

I have been to the ZaanSchans, it is one of the oldest industrial area of the Nehtherlands. There we visited the chocolate factory, oldest Dutch cheese factory and biscuit factory. All these factories used the Windmill for its operations. 

ZaanSchans, also had a wooden shoe factory. The wooden shoes were used by farmers during farming in the wet lands. 

Chocolate Factory

Cheese Factory

Wooden Shoe Factory

I also observed in this pandemic situation, there were enough measures taken in all tourists’ locations. Only limited people were allowed to enter any closed room at a time. For most of the locations the ticket had to be booked in advance, to keep a check on the peoples visit. Masks were made mandatory and sanitizer was available in multiple spots. People were also adhering to the 1.5 m distance by following the markings in the ground. 

Overall I had a very nice time spending the summer in Netherlands. These memories will be with me forever. Hoping one day this pandemic will be over and everything will be back to normal again.

*Student, 2008