Netherlands
Municipalities of Alblasserdam and Nieuw-Lekkerland, Province of Zuid-Holland
N51 52 57 E4 38 58
Date of Inscription: 1997
Criteria: (i)(ii)(iv)
Property : 322 ha
<Ref: 818
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The outstanding contribution made by the people of the Netherlands to the technology of handling water is admirably demonstrated by the installations in the Kinderdijk-Elshout area. Construction of hydraulic works for the drainage of land for agriculture and settlement began in the Middle Ages and have continued uninterruptedly to the present day. The site illustrates all the typical features associated with this technology – dykes, reservoirs, pumping stations, administrative buildings and a series of beautifully preserved windmills.
The Mill Network at Kinderdijk-Elshout is a group of buildings in an exceptional human-made landscape in which the centuries-long battle of the Dutch people to drain parts of their territory and protect them against further inundation is dramatically demonstrated through the survival of all the major elements of the complex system that was devised for this purpose.
Construction of hydraulic works for the drainage of land for agriculture and settlement began in the Middle Ages and has continued uninterruptedly to the present day. The property illustrates all the typical features associated with this technology: polders, high and low-lying drainage and transport channels for superfluous polder water, embankments and dikes, 19 drainage mills, 3 pumping stations, 2 discharge sluices and 2 Water Board Assembly Houses. The beautifully preserved mills can be divided into three categories: 8 round brick ground-sailers, 10 thatched octagonal smock mills, and one hollow post mill.
The installations in the Kinderdijk-Elshout area demonstrate admirably the outstanding contribution made by the people in Netherlands to the technology of handling water.
The landscape is striking in its juxtaposition of its horizontal features, represented by the canals, the dikes, and the fields, with the vertical rhythms of the mill system. There is no drainage network of this kind or of comparable antiquity anywhere else in the Netherlands or in the world.
Criterion (i): The Mill Network at Kinderdijk-Elshout is an outstanding human-made landscape that bears powerful testimony to human ingenuity and fortitude over nearly a millennium in draining and protecting an area by the development and application of hydraulic technology.
Criterion (ii): The Mill Network at Kinderdijk-Elshout with its historic polder areas, high and low-lying drainage channels, mills and millraces, pumping stations, outlet sluices and Water Board Assembly Houses is an outstanding example of the development of Dutch drainage techniques which were copied and adapted in many parts of the world.
Criterion (iv): The Mill Network at Kinderdijk-Elshout is an extremely ingenious hydraulic system which still functions today and which throughout the ages made it possible to settle and cultivate a large area of peat land. It is nationally and internationally the only example on this scale, making it a unique and outstanding example of an architectural ensemble as well as a cultural landscape which typifies the Netherlands and illustrates a significant stage in human history.
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Rotterdam is a city in the province of South Holland in the west of the Netherlands. The city is the second largest in the country with a population of approximately 640,000 inhabitants in the municipality and about 2.3 million inhabitants in the shared metropolitan area of The Hague and Rotterdam MRDH. Rotterdam is a vibrant, multicultural city; it is known for its university (Erasmus), cutting-edge architecture, lively cultural life, industrial riverside setting, its maritime heritage and colourful summer events. The municipality stretches all the way to the North Sea with gigantic areas like Europoort and Maasvlakte 1&2. All belong to the Port of Rotterdam. Starting as a dam constructed in 1270 on the Rotte River, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre. The port of Rotterdam is Europe’s busiest port by cargo tonnage, and was the world’s busiest from 1962 until it was surpassed by Shanghai in 2004. Rotterdam’s commercial and strategic importance is based on its location near the mouth of the Nieuwe Maas (New Meuse), a channel in the delta formed by the Rhine and Meuse on the North Sea [read more].
Amsterdam is the Netherlands’ capital and financial, cultural and creative centre with more than 850,000 inhabitants. Amsterdam is known for the canals that criss-cross the city, its impressive architecture and more than 1,500 bridges. The city has a heritage dating back to the Dutch Golden Age in the 17th century as well as a diverse art scene and a bustling nightlife. Settled as a small fishing village in the late 12th century, Amsterdam became one of the most important trading centres in the world during the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century. The city’s small medieval centre rapidly expanded as the Jordaan and the Canal District were constructed; the latter’s cultural significance was acknowledged when it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the city expanded in all directions, with many new neighbourhoods and suburbs designed in modernist styles. Amsterdam is not the seat of the government, which is in The Hague [read more].
The Hague is a city in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. It is the seat of the Dutch parliament and government, and the residence of King Willem-Alexander. It is not the capital city, which is Amsterdam. The municipality (which is the city) has more than 525,000 inhabitants, it is the third largest city of the Netherlands. Since January 1, 2015 The Hague and its suburbs are part of the Rotterdam-The Hague Metropolitan Region. The Hague lies on the North Sea and is home to Scheveningen, the most popular seaside resort of the Netherlands. Also the smaller resort of Kijkduin is part of the city. Internationally, The Hague is often known as the “judicial capital of the world” due to the many international courts that are located in the city. Among these are the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and, since 2004, the International Criminal Court [read more].
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