Dutch Windmill Overview
Expats in Netherlands may be confused by all the different Dutch windmill styles they come across in Holland. Here is a brief overview of the 3 primary types of windmills that can be found in the country.
In the Netherlands, there are 1,200 iconic windmills still standing. South Holland is the province with the largest number (230), which includes the 19 at Kinderdijk (a UNESCO World Heritage site). Gelderland, North Holland, North Brabant and Friesland each has over 100 historic windmills.
DUTCH WINDMILL TYPES
Dutch windmills generally fall into one of 3 categories:
POST WINDMILLS
The Dutch ‘wipmolen‘ is classified as a ‘post’ windmill. It was the first kind of windmill used in the Netherlands (and across Europe), as early as 13th century. It has a one-piece upper body section that houses the operating mechanisms attached to a singular post. Their original use was to drain water from polder lands.
GROUND SAILER WINDMILLS
The arms on grondzeiler (ground sailer) windmills extend low enough that the cloth sails can be extended from a position on the ground. Ground sailer windmills can be made of wood or stone.
Ground sailer windmills made of wood are generally pentagon shaped and flare outward at the bottom. They get the nickname ‘smock’ because they have a silhouette that resembles an apron.
Those ground sailers made of stone are conical in shape, narrower at the top and wider at the bottom. There is a separate cap at the top to which the fan blades are attached. This allows the cap to be rotated based on the direction of the wind.
Ground sailer windmills were used to perform many tasks in the pre-industrial age. In the Netherlands they were used primarily for draining polders.
STAGE WINDMILLS
Dutch Stellingmolens (scaffolding mills) are commonly referred to as ‘stage mills’ due to the raised platform built around the housing which resembles a stage. The platform was needed to reach the fan blades due to their height. Seeing as they were located in cities and towns, they had to be taller than all surrounding buildings so the wind wouldn’t be blocked.
The majority of stage mills are made of stone and are conical in shape. They were originally used for grinding raw agricultural products such as barley, corn and wheat into flour and meal.
The tallest tower stage mills are located in the city of Schiedam (South Holland) and reach as high as 33 meters.
Stage mills made of wood do exist, but are less common. These were predominantly used with as saw mills (such as ‘De Salamander‘ windmill in Leidschendam) for cutting trees into lumber.
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