Kaarten zijn gestuwde kennis

Maps contain accumulated knowledge. Rediscovering and reusing watermill landscapes

Even before the appearance of windmills in the Netherlands watermills were shaping the landscape. Unlike windmills, which could be placed anywhere where there was enough wind, watermills required a constant water flow. This led to significant alterations in existing streams and the surrounding land, creating reservoirs, sluices and millponds. This in turn made fertile floodplains used for agriculture and grazing. Over centuries, this interaction between mills, farmers, and water management profoundly influenced settlement patterns and land use.

Historical maps, particularly the 19th-century Waterstaatskaarten, provide detailed insights into these mill-driven systems, showing how landscapes were structured and managed. As steam engines and later motorized pumping stations replaced the watermills, many disappeared, and their role in shaping the landscape was gradually forgotten.

Today, with climate change causing extreme rainfall and drought, these historical systems are being reexamined. Old maps and knowledge of watermill landscapes now serve as valuable tools for sustainable water management and climate adaptation.