Unique images of snowfall in Kinderdijk

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Snow. Ice. These two elements combined have the power to get the average Dutch citizen’s blood pumping. This week, all winter aficionados will get a chance to relish some glacial goodness. The snow that had been predicted for days finally arrived to sprinkle Kinderdijk UNESCO World Heritage with some wintertime magic. The resulting fairy-tale landscape is simply… picture perfect.

Kinderdijk resident and photographer/ film maker Cees van der Wal, deeply in love with the local windmills, managed to capture Mother Nature’s splendour in a rather unique way. Anticipating the first snowflakes as early as Monday, he set up his camera perched high up on the sails of Overwaard mill number five. From its fourteen-metre high vantage point, the camera then spent all of Tuesday and Wednesday taking pictures every two minutes. By the time it was done, it had made a spectacular time-lapse impression of the snowy front that turned Kinderdijk into a winter wonderland.

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“To me, this was more of a test, really. I’m working on a similar project, only on a much bigger scale”, Van der Wal says. “Still, I’m quite pleased with the way these results turned out.” Over the past few years, he has repeatedly tried to capture the Kinderdijk windmills using unorthodox techniques.

Ice

No matter how sensational the view, though, the recent snowfall is bad news for the glistening sheet of ice covering the Kinderdijk basins. Snow in fact acts as an insulating blanket, slowing down the pace at which the ice underneath can thicken. In spite of ongoing sub-zero temperatures, any serious attempts at ice-skating in the Alblasserwaard area are likely to fail.

No matter the weather, however, a wintertime visit to Kinderdijk World Heritage is always worth your while. Check out your options on our special winter page.