Kinderdijk

Can you feel that. It is the wind, whistling across my flat, green fields and tickling the tall reeds that grow beside my watery canals. The canals crisscross my land like shiny blue ribbons. My home is beautiful, but I have a big secret. I live lower than the sea. That means if people weren't careful, my fields would turn into a giant puddle. For a long time, my biggest job was to keep everyone's feet dry. My giant arms spin and spin in the wind, working hard all day long to protect the land and the cozy homes here. I am not just one tower, but a whole family of them standing together. I am Kinderdijk, a village of windmills in the Netherlands.

My story began with a very big problem. A long, long time ago, a terrible flood in the year 1421, called the St. Elizabeth's flood, showed everyone just how dangerous the water could be. People knew they needed a clever and strong solution to protect their homes and farms. It took time to figure out the best plan. Then, around the year 1740, a team of smart builders created me and my eighteen brothers and sisters. We were built to work together as a team. Our job was to use the power of the wind. When the wind blows, our big arms, called sails, begin to turn. This turning moves giant gears inside of us, which power a huge scoop that lifts water from the low fields, called polders. We scoop the water up and pour it into a river that carries it safely away to the sea. For many years, families lived right inside my strong, round walls. The miller and his family were my caretakers. They made sure my sails were facing the wind and that I was always ready to work.

Today, things are a little different. Big, modern pumps now do most of the work to keep the polders dry. But my job is not over. I am now a treasure that tells an important story from the past. People from all over the world come to visit me. They walk along my canals and watch my sails spin against the blue sky. On December 6th, 1997, I was given a very special honor. I became a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which means I am so important to history that the whole world has promised to protect me. I am a reminder of how clever people can be when they work together and use the power of nature. I stand tall to show everyone that with a good idea and a little help from the wind, you can solve even the biggest problems.