OK, that’s my Dutch bucket list complete. I have now been to a real, working windmill in North Holland.
Take that, Don Quixote. I don’t feel the need to storm the windmill, I was allowed to climb into one and experience the inner workings of a polder mill at maximum power!
'God created the world except for the Netherlands. The Dutch took it from the sea’.
These very words sum up the Dutch ingenuity that led to the reclaiming
of the land from the sea in the 17th century and beyond.
Once
again dragging her in tow, Mr. Shiny and I convinced OGIA that it would
be a good thing to see something new. Although years ago she and Zavo
had already toured windmills in Zaanse Schans (the home of gourmet
mustard), OGIA had not quite experienced them this way.
Despite
the wild weather and fierce winds blowing the rain sideways (and turning
my umbrella inside out), the May gales provided the perfect conditions
through which to experience the simple but effective technology that is a
polder* mill in North Holland.
Nestled inconspicuously along
highway N243 in Schermerhorn (just east of Alkmaar) is a row of 11
polder windmills. They are the remaining structures from what was once a
chain of 52 windmills used to drain the land and transform the once
water-logged landscape into useable farmland.
One of these
windmills has been reconstructed as a model for visitors to explore from
top to bottom, complete with recreations of living spaces to give us
“modern folk” some idea of what life would have been like for a family
working and living in a windmill during the mid-19th century.
 |
| scale model of a polder mill |
Spare parts
Conquering my fear of heights and steep ladder climbs (thanks for the
moral support and encouragement, Mr. Shiny!), up, up, up I ascended into
the belly of the beast. The interior of the polder mill was
surprisingly spacious and the structure was far more stable that I had
imagined it might be. The howling wind whipping the sails around at
maximum velocity only an arm’s length away on the other side of the
thatched roof only served to enhance the experience. It was easy to see
how this could become a very dangerous endeavour if one weren’t
vigilant. One wrong step or a slip could mean the difference between
life and death or at the very least, losing an appendage to the rapidly
turning, exposed gears. *shudder*
The interior walls of the windmill play host to a treasure trove of tools that
can only be described as implements of mass destruction. I wouldn’t
want to get tangled up in the business end of some of these blades!
Earning between 80 and 100 guilders per year, the milling business wasn’t lucrative but it was a noble profession and with room and board included, it afforded a family the stability it needed to eke out a living, such that it was.
Fascinating.
Fun Facts:
The thatched roof and sides of a polder windmill can last upwards of 100 years before it needs to be replaced. Who knew that straw was such an effective building material? Clearly, the Dutch did.
The person who was in charge of the windmill, the miller (ironic, no?), actually lived within the windmill walls with his family. The windmill had space for everyone to sleep (albeit sitting somewhat upright in small bedboxes built into the walls), a hearth where the cooking was done, an eating area as well as a common room for leisure activities. This was all found on the ground floor. The first floor was unsuitable for living as the soot from the burning peat and coal was exhausted upwards inside the windmill.
Living and Life In A Windmill
*POLDER
A polder is a low-lying tract of land that forms an artificial hydrological entity, enclosed by embankments known as dikes. The best-known examples are those polders that constitute areas of land reclaimed from a body of water, such as a lake or the sea, and are consequently below the surrounding water level.
Urban Dictionary
