Pumping station at Kinderdijk in action

Today's powerful pumps of the Kinderdijk pumping station in action during a rain shower. These pumps now perform the operation for which Kinderdijk's windmills were built many centuries ago. The Alblasserwaard Polder is below sea level and since the 14th century pumps have been needed to keep the land dry in this area. First windmills were used (the ones remaining today at Kinderdijk were built around 1740), then steam engines and finally diesel and electric pumps. These pumps use “Archimedes screws“ to transport the water uphill. The same system was used by the windmills too, it is only upscaled in the modern version.