Dutch windmill lifted 80cm to restore its wind

A 250-year-old Dutch windmill is being lifted 80 centimetres so it can keep working after a nearby dyke raised for flood protection reduced its wind supply.

The listed Waardenburg windmill, a rare hexagonal mill that still grinds grain, stands on the banks of the Waal on the Rhine delta. Workers are using hydraulic jacks to raise it at about 10 centimetres an hour.

Project manager Koen van der Kroon said the dyke had to be raised to protect residents behind it from high water levels. He said the windmill also had to be lifted so its sails would receive enough wind to turn.

The operation is the second time the windmill has been raised, after a similar lift in the 1990s. Once the mill is stable on its new base, workers plan to install new piles and backfill the site.

Van der Kroon said the challenge reflected a growing dilemma in the Netherlands, where one third of the land lies below sea level and authorities must strengthen flood defences while preserving historic windmills.