Perhaps the most iconic structure  of the Netherlands is the windmill.  Windmills actually date back to 500 AD  (Persia) but they have been part of the Netherlands  since 1,200 AD.  While in other areas they were primarily used to grind grains, due to the particular issues facing the Dutch that I have discussed in previous posts, (WATER!!! FLOODS!!!) they built windmills to pump water out of flooded lands,  creating polders while pumping the water back into the rivers and seas.

As time progressed there were other uses – to power many other industrial processes, including paper and threshing mills, as well as to process oil seeds, wool, paints, and stone products.

Traditional windmills are of a simple construction:  gears, sail, wind shaft and brake wheels. The wind pushes the sail spokes, creating power which is then conveyed through the shaft to the specific gear that is required – to a wheel for grinding, or a scoop wheel for drainage. etc.

In the 19th century, there were more than  9,000 windmills in the Netherlands.   Today there are only around 1,200  since fewer and fewer windmills are being used and maintained.  Fortunately I got to visit a unique village just outside of Amsterdam that replicates life in 1850.  As we approached we could see the windmills’ sails slowly turning, creating the power to saw wood, or mill grains, spices,  press oil or even crush stones into pigment for paint.

We also had the opportunity to explore inside one windmill that functioned as a grinding mill   for pigment to be used in paint.  The owner was quite charming and if you note his iconic clothing including wooden shoes which come in quite handy when walking through marshy polders:

The grinding apparatus was very impressive:

Here are some of the rocks used and the resulting  pigments:0

lapis lazuli

 

malachite

Quite a colorful production.  In fact the Netherlands is awash in spectacular colors – as you will see in future posts.

 

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