Kralingse Plasmolens Rotterdam

Unique historical windmills in Rotterdam

In Kinderdijk you will find a number of unique windmills that are on the UNESCO World Heritage list and that are very popular amongst tourists, but also in Rotterdam itself you will find a number of unique windmills. On the shore of the Kralingen Lake you can find two historical windmills, which are the only snuff and spice windmills in the Netherlands that are still in use: The Star and The Lily, also known as the Plasmolens!

The Star and The Lily

The Star and The Lily windmills have a rich past: The Lily already existed in 1777 and the Star in 1830. Maybe the mills are even older, but in these years they were mentioned for the first time in the history books. Windmill The Star was used as a snuff and spice mill and burned down twice, but has been rebuild both times. Windmill The Lily was first used to wash cotton for a cotton printing factory that was close by. The snuff (or snuff tobacco) used to be extremely popular and was produced in the windmills on the shores of the Kralingen Lake. Later with the uprising of the cigarette the snuff became less popular and that is why both windmills now have a museum function.

Visiting the windmills

Every second saturday of the month the windmills are working and then the mills can be visited for free. Explanation will be given about the production of the snuff and the grinding of the spices. The snuff and the ground spices can also be bought in the windmills. And if you like the taste, you can order the products through the webshop of the windmills as well. On another note, the mills are also opened frequently on thursday.

Restaurant De Tuin

You can combine visiting the windmills with grabbing a bite and having a drink in restaurant De Tuin which is located right next to the windmills. De Tuin has a truly humongous terrace that is directly on the shore of the Kralingen Lake.