Low Countries · Farstep pack

Kinderdijk in 3D

South Holland · the mills of 1740

South Holland, the Netherlands

Kinderdijk's nineteen windmills were built between 1738 and 1740 to lift water out of the polder, first into a storage basin and then into the river. The land lies about 1.5 m below the water in the canals, so every drop of rain has to be lifted out. The mills still turn, and where a miller parks the sails still carries a message.

Where: South Holland, the Netherlands
Mills: Nineteen, built 1738 to 1740
Land level: About 1.5 m below the canal water
Job: Lifting water out of the polder in two steps
UNESCO World Heritage: 1997

Official site

Walk Kinderdijk in 3D

A real-time 3D model, built from open elevation data and published measurements. Loads 2.2 MB when you start.

Kinderdijk

Walk it yourself. Works on this phone.

Part of the Low Countries pack: a one-time unlock in this browser.

Terrain from open elevation data · a 3D reconstruction, not a photograph · tags as in the app

What you'll find in the walk

Gold markers in the scene open these cards.

Nineteen mills, 1738-40
Known
Built to lift water out of the polder in two steps, into the storage basin and then the river. They still turn, though pumping stations do the real work now.
Below the sea
Known
The land here lies about 1.5 m below the water in the canals and lower still below the river beyond the dyke. Every drop of rain has to be lifted out.
The sail code
Known
Where the miller parked the sails carried a message to the village: a cross for rest, a blade just past the top for joy, just short of it for mourning.

How to visit in real life

Kinderdijk is reached by road, by bike along the dykes, or by water bus from Rotterdam. Paths run along the canals between the mills, and some mills are open inside.

Opening times and tickets change: check the official site. Official site