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Alblasserwaard
The Alblasserwaard () is a polder in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. It is mainly known for the windmills of Kinderdijk, located near the village of Kinderdijk in the polder's northwestern part. History The first human inhabitants of the Alblasserwaard settled there after the last ice age, around 10.000 years ago. The ice had not reached the area itself, but eolian deposits created high points in the wet environment. These high points were places where hunter-gatherers settled, as archaeological investigations in the area have shown. During the Middle Ages, several canals and dikes were created to reclaim the land. The last part was diked in the second half of the 14th century, following the permanent flooding of Woude and Donkersloot. However, numerous floods continued to happen throughout the history of the area, as it is bound by rivers and watercourses on all sides. During World War II, the Bombing of Rotterdam also damaged the Alblasserwaard, when both th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Windmills At Kinderdijk
The Kinderdijk windmills are a group of 19 monumental windmills in the Alblasserwaard polder, in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. Most of the mills are part of the village of Kinderdijk in the municipality of Molenlanden, and one mill, De Blokker, is part of the municipality of Alblasserdam. Built in 1738 and 1740, to keep water out of the polder, it is the largest concentration of old windmills in the Netherlands and one of the best-known Dutch tourist sites. The mills are listed as Rijksmonument, national monuments and the entire area is a protected village view since 1993. They have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997, and as such are officially named as the Mill Network at Kinderdijk-Elshout. History Kinderdijk lies in the Alblasserwaard, at the confluence of the Lek and Noord rivers. In Alblasserwaard, problems with water became more and more apparent in the 13th century. Large canals, called "weteringen", were dug to get rid of the excess water in the po ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
