Jan-Willem De Winter

Jan-Willem de Winter, MA, is an architectural historian and head of product development at the Kinderdijk Windmills, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, featuring the best-preserved system of windmills, canals, sluices and pumping stations in The Netherlands. For his master’s thesis, Jan-Willem researched the visible effects of economic decline on city development in several early modern Dutch cities. An enthusiastic amateur miller from a young age, he found a way to combine his education and passion for windmills in his day-to-day activities at the World Heritage Kinderdijk. Jan-Willem is responsible for the “story of Kinderdijk,” shared with visitors throughout the exhibitions and tours. Outside of his regular duties, he has collaborated on several projects to restore historical buildings and mills in Kinderdijk. In 2016, he led the restoration and reconstruction project of the “counter-mill,” a unique two-way water pump windmill, which opened to the public in 2020.