荷兰是欧洲西部一个只有一千多万人口的国家，向来以风车闻名，人们常把荷兰称为“风车之国”。
在荷兰，随处可见一座座古朴而典雅优美的风车，给这个美丽的国度增添了几分姿色。1229年，荷兰人就发明了世界上第一座风车，从此开始了人类使用风车的历史。 风车之所以最早出现在荷兰，是由于它独特的地理位置造成。荷兰地处欧洲西部海岸，大西洋季风从北海长驱直入，荷兰正处风带要冲， 长年受益，风车也就应运而生。
The Netherlands is so closely associated with windmills. It is, therefore, hardly surprising that Holland is often referred to as the ‘land of windmills’. In 1229, the Dutch invented the world’s first to provide a driving force for human windmill. Europe used to spread these words: “God created man, the Netherlands has created a land-based windmills.”
For five centuries, windmills were the primary source of power in Holland.
