KINDERDIJK – AkzoNobel is rescuing a UNESCO World Heritage site: 19 traditional windmills that for centuries helped keep Dutch feet dry as the Netherlands struggled to survive below sea level.
The Dutch paints and coatings giant has signed a six-year agreement to protect the windmills, located in a popular boating region in the heart of Holland’s Rhine delta, by supplying technical expertise and innovative coatings to restore their original colors.
The windmills, built around 1740, were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. AkzoNobel will protect them using its Sikkens brand.
“Kinderdijk is unique and irreplaceable,” says Peter-Jan van Steenbergen, Director of the Kinderdijk World Heritage Foundation. Our UNESCO site sets an example to the world, and only the best maintenance plans and products are good enough. We’re therefore extremely pleased to have agreed to this partnership with AkzoNobel.”
Regarded as a national treasure, the Kinderdijk windmills symbolize how the Dutch have mastered the art of sustainable water management over hundreds of years. More than 350,000 people visit the site annually, and most of the 19 windmills are still inhabited.
One family has been resident for 10 generations. “We believe our paint expertise and focus on sustainability can make a genuine difference at Kinderdijk,” says Kees-Jan Starrenburg, AkzoNobel’s country director for the Netherlands.
Kinderdijk is one of several UNESCO World Heritage Sites featuring Akzo-Nobel’s coatings. The others include La Sagrada Familia (Barcelona), Westminster Abbey (London) and the Gobekli Tepe archaeological site (Turkey).
AkzoNobel has been making paints and coatings since 1792. Today, it is active in over 150 nations and has a portfolio that includes maritime brands such as Awlgrip, International, and Interpon.
