Windmills, Kinderdijk, Netherlands

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Windmills at Kinderdijk

This row of windmills is one of the best-known Dutch tourist sites – you probably recognise them from postcards and calendars. Both iconic and historic, the windmills in the village of Kinderdijk have been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1997. The Netherlands has about 1,200 windmills, though only 300 or so are still operational. Over the years they’ve played a major role in pumping sea water away from the nation's reclaimed land. Keeping the water at bay is a constant issue for the flat 'Low Countries', where much of the ground is below sea level.