The Windmills of My Mind

KINDERDIJK, THE NETHERLANDS

By Ann Parenti

In early July, our Viking River Boat, the Altruna, arrived at our first destination in the windmill city of Kinderdijk. Kinderdijk means “children’s dike” and refers to one of the legends surrounding Saint Elizabeth’s flood of 1421 that took many lives. After a storm, it is said that a young boy went to inspect the dike’s damage that separated the Alblasserwaard and the Grote Hollandse Waard and was astounded to see a cat jumping back and forth on a rocking wooden cradle to keep it from tipping over into the water. Inside was a baby girl, sleeping, safe and dry. While touring the grounds, a sculpture depicts the story called The Cat’s Cradle.

Kinderdijk, a village in the province of South Holland, was granted a UNESCO world heritage site status in 1997. At one time, there were 150 windmills in the surrounding areas. Today, the total is just 28, 19 of which are in Kinderdijk. The windmills are maintained by working “millwrights,” the name given to the person who operates the windmill. These hard-working millwrights donate their time to live and work in the windmills while paying rent to live there. The millwrights are dedicated ambassadors of these historic buildings and must have experience and previously taken years of training to become custodians of this unique historical sight.

It was an insightful day of learning firsthand what it took in the early days of life to maintain and operate the very important windmills of that generation. Stay tuned for our next stop, the charming city of Cologne, Germany.