It is this landscape that these windmills have milled dry.

Today it is a rich nature reserve and has an exuberant plant and animal life.

Geese and storks live there in harmony together with otters side by side.

Less than a century ago, this area was the scene of degrading conditions.

It was a area where the peat workers worked long days to provide for their livelihood.

The windmills were once symbols of ingenuity and power to overcome the water.

These days they are just witnesses from a rich past.

Now this landscape is one of the most beautiful nature reserves in the north of the Netherlands.