Enjoy windmills along the Kagerplassen

A tour along the Kagerplassen means enjoying rippling water, historic villages, ancient polder mills and vast grasslands. From spring to late summer, the many flowering bulb fields add extra color to your route.

Kagerplassen
The Kagerplassen consist of twelve peat lakes in which several small islands are located. The lakes are surrounded by canals and reed ditches. Beautiful to look at, but also of cultural-historical value because of the characteristic allotment pattern. You see polder windmills here in abundance, they are indispensable to keep this humid area under control. Each island has its own mill to grind it dry. The municipality of Kaag en Braassem even has the most windmills (20) within a municipality in the Netherlands.

Leeghwater pumping station
In addition to historic windmills, your route also includes other monumental buildings, such as characteristic farms and stately homes in Sassenheim. In Buitenkaag you drive past the Gemaal De Leeghwater. The pumping station from 1845 is named after Jan Adriaanszoon Leeghwater, who already argued in 1641 for the reclamation of the ever-expanding Haarlemmermeer. 

Striking polder mills
There are quite a few striking and beautiful polder windmills on your route. The Lisserpoelmolen, De Kager and Vrouw Venne all date from the seventeenth century. The Broekdijk mill dates from 1862. This octagonal wooden polder mill ran wild during a storm in 1972 and could only be stopped with difficulty. Unfortunately, the mill burned down due to overheating. In 1974, a windmill from the Waarderpolder was placed on the masonry substructure. The Lijkermolen 1 and 2 are the only twelve-sided windmills in the Netherlands. The masons who built the mills in 1780 did not believe that a round mill could be perfectly sealed. So they made a hull with twelve sides. It provides you with a unique and beautiful view. Would you like to take another nice bike ride from De Engel? Then also drive route 360715.