So after being in Holland for a little over a month, we finally went and saw our first Dutch windmill (up close).
The Netherlands is so closely associated with windmills, that it's often the first fact people recall about the country, shortly followed by wooden shoes and tulips.. The Dutch built windmills for many centuries (and to some extent, the windmills built the country itself, since without them much of the land drainage could not have occurred . In that time the mills were developed for corn milling, land drainage, saw milling, and of course other industrial purposes. Despite this widespread use, Dutch mills are in may ways quite primitive - using canvas sails, and turned to wind by hand (as distinct from the automated mechanisms that were developed for English windmills, including the fantail, and shuttered sails).
http://www.holland.com/us/tourism/article/dutch-windmills.htm
The one we went to was right here in Zwolle, about a 10min bike ride from our building. It's quite small compared to some others in nearby cities. This one, I believe, is used for corn milling.
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