Leisurely Rhine River Tour (III) - The Child's Dike

Holland has its 'four treasures': windmills, wooden shoes, cheese, tulips. And the Child's Dike windmill, as a world cultural heritage, has always attracted tourists from all over the world to visit and tour. When it comes to Holland, one cannot fail to mention windmills. For hundreds of years, windmills have been the symbol of this low-lying country. The strong Atlantic sea breeze provides Holland with natural wind power. Initially, the Dutch imported windmills from Germany for pumping water. After modifications in the 16th and 17th centuries, they began to be used for grinding grain, papermaking, oil pressing, etc. Therefore, there is such a saying in Europe: God created man, Dutch windmills created land. At its peak, Holland had nearly ten thousand windmills. With the development of technology and the widespread use of mechanical power, old windmills were gradually phased out. Today, there are still nearly a thousand left, scattered across the small territory of Holland. It can be said that Holland has cheese and the fragrance of tulips because of windmills. The name 'Child's Dike' in Holland sounds strange. I specifically looked up its origin. In 1421, there was a flood that affected the whole of Holland. After the flood receded, someone came to the dike of the disaster area and found a wooden cradle drifting along with the water. There was a cat jumping around in the cradle to maintain balance. When the cradle drifted near, people found a baby sleeping soundly in it. From then on, this place was named 'Child's Dike', hoping that the newly built dam could bless all children. Although the Child's Dike is only about ten kilometers from Rotterdam, it took a lot of time to get there in the past. Because in Holland, a low-lying country, most of the territory is reclaimed from the sea. Water buses are almost the only means of transportation. You can take a boat there from April to October every year, and the one-way journey takes more than an hour. The fare is not cheap, a round trip costs 12.5 euros. Wooden shoes, along with windmills, cheese, and tulips, are one of the 'four treasures of Holland'. Therefore, it would be the biggest regret not to visit the Wooden Shoe Museum when you come to Holland, the country of wooden shoes. Wooden shoes, along with windmills and tulips, are one of the 'three treasures of Holland'. Therefore, it would be the biggest regret not to visit the Wooden Shoe Museum when you come to Holland, the country of wooden shoes. The museum combines exhibits, production workshops, and souvenir shops. You can visit, learn, and shop without missing anything! The birth of wooden shoes is related to the geographical location of Holland. As a low-lying country, many large rivers in Europe pass through here to the sea. Influenced by the humid temperate maritime climate all year round, almost half of the land is soaked in water, which prompted the Dutch to invent wooden shoes more than 500 years ago. The Child's Dike - Kinderdijk Windmill Cluster