Alkmaar windmills during sunset by Jeroen de Jongh Photography

About "Alkmaar windmills during sunset"

by Jeroen de Jongh Photography

About the artwork

String mills B and E are oak octagonal polder mills built between 1627 and 1630. The mills are so-called grondzeilers. Strijkmolens do not drain polders, but grind the water from one boezem to another. Strike mills B and E are two of the four remaining mills on the Molenkade, and milled the water from various polders to the Schermerboezem. In 1941, the ironmills lost their function when the Raaksmaatsboezem was merged with the Schermerboezem.

A total of 14 smith mills stood there, six on the Molenkade in Oudorp (also called the Six Wheels Mills, according to some because there used to be six wheels to operate sluices, others state that at the time there was only one (overflow) sluice and the extended boezem there was also not navigable, possibly the designation was used because there used to be six paddle wheels together), four behind Oudorp and four near Rustenburg.

Dutch mills played a crucial role in land reclamation throughout the Netherlands, especially in areas below sea level. They were used to pump water from polders, low-lying pieces of land enclosed by dykes, making them suitable for agriculture or habitation. They have a rich history, dating back to the days when windmills were vital to the Dutch landscape. Today, many windmills in the Netherlands are preserved as historical monuments, serving as reminders of the country's long-standing struggle against water and its innovative technical solutions.