The windmill, a device for harnessing the energy of the wind by means of sails mounted on a rotating shaft, has been in use since around 644 CE, developed in Persia to crush grain and pump water. The earliest reference to a windmill in northern Europe dates back to 1115, when English millers employed the use of windmills to grind wheat into flour. In the 1300s, the Dutch built hundreds of windmills to drain water from low-lying grass. By the 1800s, the Dutch had introduced their windmills to the New World. Soon afterwards, these whimsical and iconic structures popped up in many other parts of the globe.
So, where can you admire some of the oldest and most impressive windmills on the planet? Click through and catch the wind with these wonderful windmills.