Historic Windmills of Europe
For centuries, wind was one of the most important sources of power in Europe. Windmills drained land, ground grain, pressed oil and sawed timber, and many of them still stand today as landmarks of their towns and landscapes.
This guide brings together five of the most remarkable windmill sites: the drainage mills of Kinderdijk, the industrial mills of Zaanse Schans, the record-breaking giants of Schiedam, the Don Quixote mills of Consuegra and the white mills of Mykonos.
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Explore the windmills
Kinderdijk
Nineteen drainage mills lining the polder canals, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997.
Zaanse Schans
Working industrial mills that grind pigments, press oil and saw timber beside green wooden houses.
Windmills of Schiedam
The tallest traditional windmills in the world, built to grind malt for the town's jenever distilleries.
Consuegra
Twelve white mills and a hilltop castle on the Cerro Calderico ridge, the landscape of Don Quixote.
Mykonos Windmills
Whitewashed mills with thatched roofs on the Kato Mili ridge, overlooking the Aegean and Little Venice.