Alphen aan den Rijn · NL
Steektermolen
The Steektermolen is a majestic wipmolen (a distinctive Dutch hollow-post polder mill) standing in the flat green landscape west of Alphen aan den Rijn, its 26.6-metre sails making it the largest of its type in the historic Rijnland waterboard district. Built in 1597 and a designated national monument, this working water-management mill has drained the Steekterpolder for over four centuries and is now lovingly maintained by a volunteer miller under the Rijnlandse Molenstichting.
Visitors come for an intimate encounter with Dutch water heritage: the sails still turn, the story of polder engineering is told through interpretive panels on-site, and the surrounding open meadows along the Oude Rijn offer a rare pocket of stillness in the densely populated Randstad.