What are the windmills in the Netherlands mainly used for?

Dutch windmills were first introduced from Germany. At first it was only used for grinding powder and the like. By the 16th and 17th centuries, windmills were of particularly great significance to the Dutch economy.

At that time, the Netherlands occupied a leading position in the world's commerce. Various raw materials were transported from various waterways to windmills for processing, including: wood from the Nordic countries and the countries along the Baltic Sea, hemp seeds and linseeds from Germany, Cinnamon and pepper from India and Southeast Asia. In the suburbs of Rotterdam and Amsterdam, the great ports of the Netherlands, there are many windmills, sawmills and paper mills.

As the Dutch people carried out large-scale land reclamation projects from the sea, windmills played a huge role in this arduous project. The first step was to equip the windmill with a movable canopy, and then they mounted the windmill's canopy on rollers. This kind of windmill is called a Dutch windmill.

Extended information:

The Netherlands, known as the "Garden of Europe" and the "Land of Windmills", has a relatively developed tourism industry, with its famous sea-blocking and land reclamation project and beautiful and pleasant tulip planting areas. (The Netherlands is known as the "Kingdom of Tulips" and tulips are its national flower), the famous cheese town Gouda (home to the world's first cheese trading center), and the large windmills full of ancient atmosphere (the Netherlands is the country with the most windmills). A great place for sightseeing.

The Netherlands has very convenient water, land and air transportation. There are rivers crisscrossing the territory and waterways extending in all directions. The Rhine, which flows through the south and empties into the North Sea, is one of the busiest rivers in the world for shipping. Rotterdam at its mouth is the world's top port, with throughput ranking first in the world for 42 consecutive years. Amsterdam Airport is an important airport in Europe and has been rated as the best airport in the world many times. The Dutch have a strong awareness of environmental protection. Each person owns two bicycles. Bicycles are an important means of transportation. There are dedicated bicycle lanes on urban arterial roads.

Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia Dutch Windmill