To the windmills of the Schermer, the land of Leeghwater

Cycle through a typical Dutch polder landscape and be amazed by an ingenious piece of civil engineering that has made the Netherlands world famous. The water level in the polder is artificially regulated and is lower than in the surrounding areas and has no direct connection to the water outside the area, except through structures. The water level is regulated by polder mills, pumping stations or drainage sluices. Where the water has to be higher, weirs can be used to achieve a fixed, higher water level. The cycle route is therefore often crossed by waterways; ditches that can flow well to regulate the water.

The open and wide landscape you see was once a large lake area. One of the lakes that were located here, but which was last drained between 1633 and 1635, is the Schermeer, from which the area owes its name. The drainage of the Schermer and Schermereiland is done in a different way than most polders in North Holland. Like everywhere else, the polder was drained by windmills, but in terms of water management, the Schermer was drained in a different way. First of all, a dike was built and (inner) reservoirs were dug. 52 thatched windmills of the octagonal inner porter type were placed on it.

There are three types of polders: reclaimed land, embankment and reclamation. Open water has been reclaimed in a polder. Here a lake or puddle has literally been dried up. An embankment is an impoldering of an area on the coast. It is often salt marshes that have dried up here and dikes protect the area and now keep the water away. During a reclamation, natural wasteland has been reclaimed and prepared for cultural processing. So reclamation does not always have to result in a polder landscape, former peat, marsh, heath or dune areas can of course also be given a different destination.

You will see a lot of windmills on this tour. The first four are already present at 3.5 kilometers. Iron B , Iron C , Iron D , and Iron E , are nicely together. There were a total of fourteen of these mills on this site. Three of the four mills are ground sailers that were built in 1630. Only Strijkmolen E was installed two years earlier, making it the oldest of these four mills. The ironing mills are located on the Molenkade and pumped the water from various polders to the Schermerboezem.

At junction 52 at a crossroads of roads and waterways you will see windmill De Otter, which has a special status in this landscape. She is the only one in this landscape with water mills that grinds grain and offers work to people with a disability. Feel free to take a look at the mill yard.

Further on you will come across three beautiful monuments, Strijkmolen L , Strijkmolen K , and Strijkmolen I do not so much raise the water to a higher level, like polder mills, but'iron\\\' it to other surface water, for example a river so that it can be disposed of. From a distance, the view of the mills is truly beautiful.

The tour continues to Ondermolen O, Ondermolen K, and Bovenmolen G. The latter belonged to a ring of 16 mills and was the only one never moved.
Of the original 52 water mills, 11 are still preserved, the most famous are at Schermerhorn and Ondermolen C, Bovenmolen E, Ondermolen D (Museummolen) are still popularly referred to as'de molendriegang\\\'. A visitor center has been set up in the middle mill.