Time for a riddle: What is thoroughly Dutch, you see everywhere, but most people rarely visit? That’s right, mills! On Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 May it is the National Mill Days. You can also visit windmills in and around Zoetermeer.
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According to the website mills.nl there are more than 1,200 windmills in the Netherlands. Of these, 272 are in our province.
Windmill day in Zoetermeer
Now that you know these numbers, it is not surprising that you can also visit a windmill in Zoetermeer, namely Molen de Hoop. This mill was built in 1897 and it has been restored several times. The mill is still active and there is a shop with baking products, books and delicacies. During the Open Mill Days you can visit the mill on Saturday 13 May from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
In the Netherlands there are two types of mills: the polder mill and the industrial mill. Polder mills were built in the west and north of the Netherlands from the 15th century to pump away excess water. Industrial mills were used to grind grain, cut wood or extract oil from seeds. (Source: mills.nl)
More mills
If the rotating structures are completely grist to your mill, you can also view mills in surrounding places. Think of De Haas in Benthuizen, the four Tweemanspolder mills in Zevenhuizen, De Roos in Delft (13 and 14 May), Salamander in Leidschendam and Windlust in Nootdorp. If you really can’t get enough of it, you can also have a nice one cycling or walking route making along various windmills in the Netherlands.
For more windmills in our area you can this page to look at.