A rijksmonument (, ) is a

national heritage site A national heritage site is a heritage site having a value that has been registered by a governmental agency as being of national importance to the cultural heritage or history of that country. Usually such sites are listed in a heritage registe ...

of the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, listed by the agency

Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed (RCE, Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands) often abbreviated as Cultureel Erfgoed, is a Dutch heritage organisation working for the protection and conservation of National Heritage Sites. It is located ...

(RCE) acting for the

Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science ( nl, Ministerie van Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschappen; OCW) is the Dutch Ministry responsible for education, culture, science, research, gender equality and communications. The Ministry was cre ...

. At the end of February 2015, the Netherlands had 61,822 listed national heritage sites, of which approximately 1,500 are listed as archaeological sites.

History and criteria

Westzaan - De Schoolmeester vanaf het water

Until 2012, a place had to be over 50 years old to be eligible for designation. This criterion expired on 1 January 2012. The current legislation governing the monuments is the ''Monumentenwet van 1988'' ("Monument Law of 1988"). The organization responsible for caring for the monuments, which used to be called ''Monumentenzorg'', was recently renamed, and is now called

. In June 2009, the Court of The Hague decided that individual purchasers of buildings that were listed as rijksmonuments would be exempt from paying transfer tax, effective from 1 May 2009. Previously this exemption had only applied to legal entities.

Some examples

Many Dutch tourist attractions are rijksmonuments, such as

castles A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified ...

windmills A windmill is a structure that converts wind power into rotational energy using vanes called sails or blades, specifically to mill grain (gristmills), but the term is also extended to windpumps, wind turbines, and other applications, in some par ...

. Some notable windmills are

De Schoolmeester, Westzaan De Schoolmeester is a smock mill in Westzaan, Netherlands which is maintained in full working order. It is the only wind powered paper mill in the world. The mill is listed as Rijksmonument number 40013. History The first paper mill in the Zaan ...

, a

smock mill The smock mill is a type of windmill that consists of a sloping, horizontally weatherboarded, thatched, or shingled tower, usually with six or eight sides. It is topped with a roof or cap that rotates to bring the sails into the wind. This type ...

North Holland North Holland ( nl, Noord-Holland, ) is a province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevoland. In November 2019, it had a ...

, the only wind powered

paper mill A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless belt, ...

in the world, listed as rijksmonument number 40013;

De Wieker Meule, De Wijk De Wieker Meule is a smock mill in De Wijk, Netherlands. It was built in 1829 and has been restored to working order. The mill is listed as a Rijksmonument, number 39657. (Click on "Technische gegevens" to view) History De Wieker Meule was origi ...

, in

Drenthe Drenthe () is a province of the Netherlands located in the northeastern part of the country. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and the German state of Lower Saxony to the east. As of Nov ...

province, built in 1829 and restored to working order, listed as rijksmonument number 39657; and Mellemolen, a hollow post mill in

Friesland Friesland (, ; official fry, Fryslân ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia, is a province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen, northwest of Drenthe and Overijssel, north of ...

, also restored to working order, listed as rijksmonument number 35937. Among the rijksmonuments are also many churches. Most rijksmonuments are residential buildings, such as houses and villas.

Other monuments in the Netherlands

* A provincial monument (''provinciaal monument'') is a monument designated by a province. In the Netherlands there are only two provinces that assign monuments, North Holland and Drenthe. The designation allows the provinces to protect the monuments and are a base for the regulation of subsidy for restoring the monuments. * A municipal monument (''gemeentelijk monument'') is a monuments designated by a municipality. A municipal monument is not of national importance but it is important for the region or city/village. * An ''archeological monument''. * Protected city or landscape views.

References

External links

*
Monumentenregister
official database of heritage sites * {{in lang, nl}
Monumenten.nl
Historic sites in the Netherlands Dutch words and phrases

History and criteria

Some examples

Other monuments in the Netherlands

See also

References

External links