The network of nineteen windmills in Kinderdijk-Elshout shows the impressive contribution the Dutch have made to the technology of controlling water. In the Middle Ages, the construction of water works - necessary for the drainage of farmland and villages - began and continues to this day. The area displays all the typical features associated with this technology - dykes, reservoirs, pumping stations, administrative buildings and the 19 beautifully preserved windmills. The mills were decommissioned in 1950, but all still work. They are 'on standby' in case modern facilities fail.