Dutch windmills

Dutch windmills

Dutch windmills remain very popular among tourists visiting the Netherlands. Nor can it be more typically Dutch than this icon. The Dutch Clog Shop offers a wide selection of Delft Blue souvenir windmills in various shapes and sizes. A number of mills also have a wind-up mechanism from which music will play.

History of the Dutch windmill

The first windmills appeared in the Netherlands around 1200, most probably in the province of Limburg. The wind force was used for pumping up water, grinding spices and flour. Over time, hard work was done on improving the mills. Cornelis Corneliszoon received a patent in 1592 for the invention of sawing wood with a windmill. The arrival of the steam engine marked the end of many mills. Nowadays, more and more windmills are generating electricity, because the wind has not subsided.

Unfortunately, this has little to do with the Delft blue Dutch windmills that we sell as souvenirs.