Top 6 Famous Old Windmills Around The World

Since humans first started putting sails in the wind, wind power has been used. The use of wind to generate mechanical power was the next step. Greek engineer Heron of Alexandria created a wind-driven wheel in the first century AD to power an organ. Since at least the 9th century, Persia has had windmills that were used to pump water and grind corn.

The 12th century sees the first appearance of windmills in Europe. Although vertical-axle windmills in the Middle East may have inspired crusaders, this is highly unlikely given that European windmills were significantly different in design. In medieval Europe, every old windmill rotated on horizontal axles. The well-known Dutch windmills drained portions of the Rhine River delta two centuries later.

6 Famous Old Windmills

• Rhodes Windmills
• Oland Windmills
• Zaanse Schans
• Windmills of La Mancha
• Mykonos Windmills
• Kinderdijk

6. Rhodes Windmills

The famous Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, can be found in Mandraki Harbor, which was once the military port of ancient Rhodes. Today, Mandraki is a place that hasn't changed much and is lined with seaside cafes with views of yachts and fishing boats.

Three medieval windmills are housed in the long wave breaker in the Greek harbor. These windmills were used to grind the grains that merchant ships were loading into the harbor.

5. Oland Windmills

Oland Windmills is Sweden's second-largest island with only a few people living there. Most of the island's land is farmland and woods. The island's 400 wooden windmills have become its very own iconic landmark. They were designed primarily to meet the requirements of individual farms. Today, each of them is a protected monument.

4. Zaanse Schans

READ ALSO » History Of The Old Oyo Empire

The Zaanse Schans is a museum and open-air conservation area in the Netherlands. It is located on the bank of the river Zaan, north of Zaandam. It has black and green traditional wooden houses, several working windmills, and open-to-the-public craftsman's workshops that showcase the region's traditional architecture from the 17th and 18th centuries.

The windmills were used for a wide range of industrial tasks, such as sawing wood, threshing grains, and making oil from seeds and nuts.

3. Windmills of La Mancha

The vast, arid plains of central Spain are encompassed by Castilla-La Mancha, or Windmills of La Mancha. Wine, medieval castles, and the well-known windmills that Miguel Cervantes immortalized in Don Quixote can all be found there. Don Quixote, credited as the first modern novel, was published in two volumes in 1605 and 1615. It has been translated into so many languages that many claim it is only the Bible that is available in more languages.

The best representations of some of the giants against which Cervantes' hero fought can be found in Consuegra, where a number of old windmills are erected on a hill just outside the town.

2. Mykonos Windmills

Windmills in Mykonos One of the most well-known landmarks on the entire Greek island are the windmills in Mykonos. The five windmills in Mykonos Town are the first thing the ship sees as it approaches the harbor because they are perched on a hill with a view of the area.

On Mykonos, there are a total of sixteen old windmills. The majority of them were constructed by the Venetians in the 16th century and were used for wheat grinding. Their use gradually decreased with the advent of modernity until the middle of the twentieth century.

1. Kinderdijk

The Netherlands still has more than one thousand old windmills. The village of Kinderdijk, also known as Children's dike, is the location of the greatest concentration of Dutch windmills.

READ ALSO » Top 10 Famous Prisons Around The World

19 windmills were constructed around 1740 to remove excess water from the polders, which are below sea level. Even though enormous mechanical pumps have taken over their function, they are still usable and have maintained their excellent condition to the present day. One of the most popular tourist attractions in the Netherlands is Kinderdijk.