Dutch Windmills in Green Heart of Holland: Molenviergang Aarlanderveen. 3 of the flight of 4 wind mills keeping the polder dry
Windmills - Molenviergang Aarlanderveen. This image: Three out of four of the flight (chain or in Dutch: gang or molengang) of windmills that maintain the water level in this polder. The actual polder water level can be seen on the left. The current level in this image is fairly normal and is m / 17 feet inches below sea level. The canal visible between the mills is a storage basin and the transport line between the mills. (Dutch: boezem or boezemwater.) The mills are not able to pump it up in one go, so four are needed for this, scooping it up in stages. Mill numbers 1, 2 and 3 use scoop wheels inside the mill, while mill number 4, a bit further away and not visible in this image, uses a more modern 19th C. Archimedes' screw. This gang of four is the only one in the world that proudly maintains the level of a polder, usually without any help of the modern electric pumping station, which is also installed. Not visible in this image is another interesting feature: the transport canal has to cross another wider canal with a different level, and does so by going underneath with a tunnel or aquaduct for water. This is situated between mill 2 and 3 which is on the horizon. These three mills date from around 1786, but have all been rebuild at some point in history due to fires. The more modern number 4 mill was build in 1801.
Size: 5472px × 3648px
Location: Molenviergang in Aarlanderveen, Alphen aan den Rijn, The Netherlands
Photo credit: © Wiskerke / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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