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 ...

are known worldwide as an iconic symbol of

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups ...

. Some 1,200 historic windmills survive, most of which are

gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that has been separat ...

s or

polder A polder () is a low-lying tract of land that forms an artificial hydrological entity, enclosed by embankments known as dikes. The three types of polder are: # Land reclaimed from a body of water, such as a lake or the seabed # Flood plains ...

mills. Many remain fully functional, and their upkeep and operation is promoted by a number of civic organizations, including ''

De Hollandsche Molen Vereniging De Hollandsche Molen () ( en, Dutch Windmill Association) is a Dutch organization founded in 1923 to preserve windmills in the Netherlands, to document them, and to restore them. Financial support comes from members and from grants by o ...

'', '' Gilde van Vrijwillige Molenaars'' and ''

Stichting De Fryske Mole The Stichting De Fryske Mole ( en, Frisian Mills Foundation) is a foundation for the preservation of windmills in the Dutch province Friesland, owning 42 of the 124 windmills in Friesland and closely co-operating with the Gild Fryske Mounders with w ...

''. Several Dutch villages are known for their concentration of windmills, including

Kinderdijk Kinderdijk () is a village in the municipality of Molenlanden, in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. It is located about east of Rotterdam. Kinderdijk is situated in the Alblasserwaard polder at the confluence of the Lek and Noord riv ...

Zaanse Schans Zaanse Schans () is a neighbourhood of Zaandam, near Zaandijk, Netherlands. It is best known for its collection of windmills and wooden houses that were relocated here from the wider region north of Amsterdam for preservation. From 1961 to 1974, ...

, and

Schiedam Schiedam () is a city and municipality in the west of the Netherlands. It is located in the Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan area, west of Rotterdam, east of Vlaardingen, and south of Delft. In the south the city is connected with the villa ...

, home to the tallest windmill in the world.

Tjasker The tjasker (West Frisian: , German: ) is a small type of windmill used solely for drainage purposes. It is distinctive for its simple construction, featuring only a single inclined shaft that carries the sails on one end and an Archimedes' screw o ...

s, a kind of windmill native to

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 ...

, were also used for water management. This list of windmills in the Netherlands is grouped by province.

Flevoland Flevoland () is the twelfth and youngest province of the Netherlands, established in 1986, when the southern and eastern Flevopolders, together with the Noordoostpolder, were merged into one provincial entity. It is in the centre of the countr ...

, the Netherlands' newest province, is not included. Types of Dutch windmills include: File:Sprang - molen Dye Sprancke.jpg, ''Standerdmolen'' (

post mill The post mill is the earliest type of European windmill. Its defining feature is that the whole body of the mill that houses the machinery is mounted on a single vertical post, around which it can be turned to bring the sails into the wind. All ...

) File:Wipmolen.jpg, ''Wipmolen'' File:Molen Heechhiem 01.JPG, ''Spinnenkopmolen'' ("Spider's head") File:20080606 Tjasker Meestersveen Zeijen NL.jpg, ''

'' File:Paltrokmolen zijaanzicht.jpg, ''Paltrokmolen'' File:Dronrijp - Hatsumermolen bij vorst.jpg, ''Grondzeiler'' File:Oeffelt DeVooruitgang.JPG, ''Beltmolen'' File:Windlust Noordwolde 02.JPG, ''Stellingmolen''

Lists of Dutch windmills by
province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...

* List of windmills in Drenthe *

List of windmills in Friesland A list of windmills in the Dutch province of Friesland. Locations A B C, D E F, G H I, J K, L M N O P, R S T – V W – Z Notes Mills still standing marked in bold. Known building dates are bold, otherwise the da ...

* List of windmills in Gelderland * List of windmills in Groningen * List of windmills in Limburg * List of windmills in North Brabant * List of windmills in North Holland *

List of windmills in Overijssel A list of windmills in the Netherlands, Dutch province of Overijssel. {{Dutch Windmills Windmills in Overijssel, Lists of windmills in the Netherlands, Overijssel ...

* List of windmills in South Holland * List of windmills in Utrecht * List of windmills in Zeeland {{Authority control

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 ...

Lists of Dutch windmills by province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...

Lists of Dutch windmills by
province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...