Kinderdijk

July 22, 2026

Beginning about 1200 C.E., the marshes at the intersection of the Lek and and Nieuwe Maas rivers began to be converted to pasture land (1) Building dikes and digging canals, the inhabitants then began to pump out the water. The land remains, along with many of the water-pumping windmills built to then-current designs in the 1700s. Water is raised in multiple stages, then gates are opened to drain the water into the rivers at low tide. At the site, a museum offers historical context and a boat ride along the principal canal offered views of the water-pumping mills.

One of the mills is open to visit. The families lived inside the mills, which seemed to share design choices with sailing vessels, which also contain limited space (2). The mill wings  can be turned into the wind, and have brakes. The wings can be reefed in heavier winds. The central shafts of the mills in Kinderdijk reach all the way through the mills to below ground level to furnish power to the pumps.

Hopping the ferry to Rotterdam (3), we soon were pedaling northwest into a headwind (4) along the canals toward Delft. The Schie canal and adjacent bike path (fietspad) often lies above the lovely villages, pastures and farmland. After Delft, the bike path followed a tram line to Den Haag, which had a more urban feel (5). Indonesian food was on the menu this evening (6). Just under 20 miles in the saddle today. 

(1) A local told us an old adage: "God created the world, but the Dutch made the Netherlands."

(2) One family jammed 13 children into one mill in the early 20th century.

(3) Originally planning to cycle, a guide at the complex told us the ferry was a more scenic choice, as the bike path mainly traverses an industrial area.

(4) Prevailing winds in the summer are southwest, which is why we planned a clockwise route through the Netherlands. Due to the winds backing today, we got extra exercise into the wind.

(5) Checking into the hotel at Den Haag, Paul told our friends that they had a much better room than we did "with mirrors on the ceiling." Later, he would pay for our coffee in the hotel lobby because we wanted "sh***y coffee with milk."

(6) Indonesia was a Dutch colony until after World War II.

Iconic view from the boat

Windwill (circa 1700) rotating counter clockwise in the northwest wind. Some say the standard counter-clockwise design was a random choice; other sources indicate that the tree trunks used on the wings were stronger when turned counter clockwise, Modern wind turbines turn clockwise.

Mills display their construction dates.

People still live in the mills

The miller's boat

Inside one of the mills

The cogwork mechanism 

Dimunitive bedstead

The wheel in the foreground was used as a pivot point to point the sails into the wind 

When the Kinderdijk polder flooded in 1421, baby Beatrijs floated away in her cradle. The family cat balanced the floating cradle until she was rescued.

Steam powered water mills helping keep the polder dry

The ferry boat to Rotterdam

Along the Schie waterway in Rotterdam l.

Bike path drawbridge over a side canal

Biking through Oberschie

Originally a small creek, the Schie was straightened and made navigable over the years by digging. The town of Delft, which the Delftse Schie bisects, is named after the digging ("Delf" in Dutch). Note that the Schie is higher than the surrounding land.

Through Zweth

Baarboot on the Delft Schie

View of Delft

Mowing the lilly pads at Delft