Love for windmills Ammerstol, Nieuw-Lekkerland and Alblasserdam

When you think of Alblasserdam as a cyclist, it is almost inevitable that you think of windmills. The vast peat area is intersected by ditches, canals and two small rivers: the Alblas and the Giessen. The area derives its characteristic, historical identity in particular from the many windmills along the Kinderdijk in Nieuw-Lekkerland. The windmills are on the World Heritage List and are iconic for the area. All these mills ensured that the excess water, which reached the Alblasserwaard when flooding occurred, was pumped upwards. It was then discharged into the river through sluices. In World War II, this even happened without electrical assistance. The nineteen windmills that you can find around the Kinderdijk are: Nederwaard No. 1, Nederwaard no. 2 (museum), Nederwaard No. 3, Nederwaard no. 4, Nederwaard no. 5, Nederwaard no. 6, Nederwaard no. 7 and Nederwaard no. 8. All these mills were built in 1738. They are beautiful, round, stone ground sails with an iron paddle wheel that drain the low bosom of the Nederwaard. Of the mills, number 8 is the only mill that has never been raised and therefore the rods of this ground sailor are shorter than those of the rest. Also Overwaard No. 1, Overwaard No. 2, Overwaard No. 3, Overwaard No.4, Overwaard No. 5, Overwaard No. 6, Overwaard No. 7 and Overwaard No. 8 are impressive to see. These mills are also ground sailers, but have an octagonal hull. In number 2 there was an accident with a gas bottle in 1981 and that mill burned down. The mill was rebuilt and officially put into operation by Prince Claus in 1985. The mills are used to drain the low bosom of the Overwaard, but some mills are also used as homes. The other windmills around the Kinderdijk are De Blokker, the Hoge Molen and the Kleine Molen. All three are ground sailors, but De Blokker, also known as the Blokweerse Mill, is the odd one out, because it is a seesaw mill instead of a round stone mill or an octagon. The windmills along the Kinderdijk are not the only windmills you will encounter on your bike ride. Near Streefkerk is mill De Liefde, a tower mill from 1893. The mill is also called'In Love Turning\\\' and previously bore the name'De Hoop\\\'. It is an octagonal tower mill from 1893, which has a wooden substructure. De Liefde was built to replace an octagonal ground sail that went up in flames and was in operation until about 1970. The year of construction of the Kleine Molen, also known as Kleine Tiendweg Molen, is unknown. What is known is that the seesaw mill used to be part of a mill corridor with three lower and two upper mills. It can be established that the mill in any case dates from before 1751. In 1977/1978 the mill was restored. The mill is able to grind in circuit, because the two upper mills that drained the water were destroyed by fire. Around 1761, the Achtkante Molen van Streefkerk was built. The mill is made of wood and thatched. The mill was in operation until 1951 and was extensively restored in 1970/1971. This way it was made fully ready for grinding again and in 1972 it was able to run at full speed again. Nowadays the mill runs in a circuit, because the water can no longer be pumped out. You will not only come across mills that are still in good condition, but you will also see mill ruins. The Regt (hull/remainder) and the Fundering Sluismolen (hull/remainder) are striking examples. The latter is the remains of a seesaw mill that burned down completely in June 1979. The damage was so great that it was never repaired, but the mill was dismantled earlier (in 1970) and thus lost its function. The foundation of the mill has been preserved as a national monument. During the second part of the route you will also come across a well-preserved mill corridor of three seesaw mills in Groot-Ammers: the Achterlandse Molen, the Graaflandse Molen, and the Gelkenes Molen. The mills are believed to have been built around 1596 or even earlier. The three windmills drained the Liesveld polder until 1965. The last mill on the route is the Achtkante Mill. This mill is also located in Groot-Ammers, but it stands out among the previous seesaw mills because of its shape. The mill from 1805 replaces a seesaw mill that burned down earlier that year. This mill also drained the Liesveld polder until the mid-seventies of the twentieth century.