Contrary to popular myth, the current universally accepted “homeland” of the traditional windmill, in fact, represents only its convenient final resting place, the eventual victors, in this instance, acquiring the vaunted title through anything but conventional circumstances.
In the not-so-distant past, the snapping, billowing sails of an astounding 200,000 molens could still be heard reverberating all across continental Europe.
The chart below reveals the European nations with the highest concentrations of windmills, during the reported peak 150 years of their use.
Top 5 Homelands: 1750 – 1900
| Country | Year | Number of Windmills |
|---|---|---|
| 5. UK | 1820 | 5000 - 10,000 |
| 4. France | 1847 | 8700 |
| 3. Netherlands | 1850 | 9000 † |
| 2. Germany | 1895 | 18,242 |
| 1. Finland | 1900 | 20,000 |
The length and breadth of the study sample was aimed at providing an equitable measure of comparison. Accordingly each of the "competitors" would've enjoyed equal access to a shared technology, thereby affording the same opportunity for all who so desired to bolster their numbers and climb the ranks, over the 150 year span.
The Hosts With the Most
First place goes to the land of Fens. Have you ever looked at an overhead image of this country!? Have a peek and you'll begin to comprehend from the vastness of wet terrain, why they needed over 2x more windmills than even the Netherlands. Storming into second, is a country, no stranger itself to soggy weather, or boggy terrain – no, it's not Britain, but you're on the correct heading!
Finland and Germany led by such a convincingly wide margin, it's only fair we recognize them both. Sporting twice as many windmills as the nearest competition, winner and runner-up, respectively, demonstrated they were leagues apart from the rest.
Indignant Double Dutch Truth
Trudging in at a very distant (and generous) 3rd place, well behind the categorical champions, we find the present day pretenders. The absence of any future opportunity to improve their lot exposes the myth for what it is: the Netherlands was never in serious contention to claim the vaunted "homeland" title – so how did they come to possess it?
The Stiff Winds of Attrition
1900AD found the majestic water-pumping-energy-generating marvels teetering precariously, on the edge of a steep precipice. Having already experienced a century of decline, little impetus was needed to send their numbers spiralling into the dark abyss, from which recovery was entirely impossible.
That fatal impetus arrived in a cascade of culminating events. A barrage of incendiary world wars lit the fuse. "Globalized" central banking and an epic Faustian bargain that sacrificed much of the Old World infrastructure/tech, in the name of so-called "progress," fanned the flames of the firestorms that followed.
How many windmills burned in Dresden??
Moving on to World War Two, many former "History Channel" historians will recall Britain and France were appropriately sortied out, by one side or the other, during the catastrophic conflict.
Recovering from that point on was substantially easier for the "neutral" countries – notably the Swiss and Dutch – who'd wisely abstained from most of the fighting. Friends til the end – or at least until the middle of WW2 – Finland and Germany were not so fortunate.
I did not set off to intentionally compose this article to coincide with the outcomes of WW2. It was an accidental synchronicity to discover the solitary country from the "top 5" list to avoid being blown to smithereens went on to become the adopted homeland of the windmill.
Taking shelter while the world around them seemed to shudder, as if in violent protest, and whilst regional rivals toppled, when the dust eventually settled and the pieces shifted back into the "new and proper" order of things, one nation emerged to claim the spoils. A better opportunity had truly-never afforded itself!
The Netherlands: Winner by Default!
Sources & Attributions:
Main image/image 1 (I1)
http://www.holidaybug.co.za
Image 2 (I2)
https://www.worldmap1.com/
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Secret Bonus: 500 000 watermills across Europe during the same period brought the only tangible and truly green, clean mass produced free energy (that we're aware of) to a staggering 700,000. Easy to reckon, including all the boat mills and bridge mills, etc, we could call it a cool million units!! London Bridge is calling!
Narrow Boats and Racetracks, too... all were part of, or resulted from, the sensationally massive free energy grid. "Electricity" well before it was invented! The secret is now out. It was something in the air AND the water... it was, it IS the OTHER AETHER. And we all deserve to know. And know, we all soon shall!!
