LISTENING TO THE SOUND OF SERENITY – Zaanse Schans, Netherlands: the time machine, the blades of silence

In 2007, a new mill was built, inside which you can see and hear the story of the mills. To enjoy this experience, you can go to Zaanse Schans, Holland. Zaanse Schans – in the area of Zaandam, North Holland – has an amazing set of windmills that, all together, take the visitor back in time. They have also been built since the fourteenth century, but as you’ll see they are all still in excellent health. Certainly you too can visit them, observing strange mechanisms, and listening to the creaking of the wooden boards. A curiosity: the mills were also constructed to break stones, those that were used to build the palaces Dam Square, Amsterdam. http://www.dezaanseschans.nl/en/windmills-at-zaanse-schans/

Of course, from the beginning of the twentieth century the mills have given way to steam engines, and their number has significantly decreased. In 1925, however, it happened something special, because a knot of people of good will (the association Vereniging De Molen Zaansche), had decided to show the younger generation the history of windmills. The best way to appreciate the majesty of the mills, believe me, is to navigate by boat along the river, or to ride a bike. Both ways are pleasantly combined to silence and peace around you. The first mills date back to 1321, they were used to move the water and grinding the flour, but also as crushers for the oil and for the paper. Now, for you, all of them grind serenity. http://www.zaanstreek.nl/visitors/?view=list&sort=name&sortOrder=desc&page=6