A little more
of Aalten.

Aalten · NL

V.O.F. Hagenwind

Hagenwind is a working wind farm on the open farmland of the Achterhoek, near the border town of Aalten in Gelderland. Listed on maps under the category 'Mill' only because the Dutch word *windmolen* literally translates to mill, this is in reality a cluster of eight tall modern wind turbines, not a historic grain mill with sails and a miller. Owned and operated by a local partnership of farmers, it was the first wind farm built in the eastern Netherlands and remained one of the largest in the country away from the coast and the polders. What makes Hagenwind interesting is its scale and its story. Spinning in flat fields of grass and maize close to the German border, the turbines have supplied green electricity to roughly 10,000 households since they opened in 2008, quietly powering the everyday life of the region. For a traveler cycling or driving through this quiet agricultural corner, the sight of eight white giants turning above the horizon is one of the most striking landmarks the Achterhoek has to offer.