Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Greece Lasithi Windmills of Lasithi Plateau

Windmills of Lasithi Plateau

This little Greek plateau is home to thousands of rustic, white-sailed windmills.

Lasithi, Greece

Added By
Eric Grundhauser
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Windmills of Lasithi Plateau   Tim Schofield on Flickr
Windmills of Lasithi Plateau   Tim Schofield on Flickr
Windmills of Lasithi Plateau   Olivier Duquesne on Flickr
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Located on the island of Crete, the Lasithi Plateau holds a small rural community that was once reliant on over ten thousand identical windmills. While the use and number of the windmills has dwindled, the plateau is still awash with the white-cotton whirligigs.

The plateau has been inhabited since around 600 BC, drawing settlers with willing soil and an only occasionally harsh climate. However, the high water table that makes the soil so fertile also makes tending to the land a bit tricky due to the water saturation. During the winters, rain run off would flood the fields, and destroy the harvest. To combat this, drainage ditches were dug that solved part of the problem.

Then in the 20th century, the signature white windmills started to pop up all over the plateau to help with proper irrigation. Most of the windmills had stone bodies, and white cloth sails. Eventually, around 10,000 of the iconic windmills appeared across the area, using wind power to pump water to the various fields. In conjunction with the previously dug ditches, the system was able to make crop production viable. It also had the added benefit of giving the area a lovely symbol.

Today, only around 5,000 of the windmills are still standing. Many of them have been abandoned, as people living on the plateau have taken to more modern means of irrigation. However the remaining windmills still remember a simpler time, and give the area a look like no where else in the world.    

Related Tags

Windmills

Community Contributors

Added By

EricGrundhauser

Edited By

brianthekid

  • brianthekid

Published

February 2, 2016

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.amusingplanet.com/2016/01/the-windmills-of-lasithi-plateau.html
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lasithi_Plateau
  • http://www.interkriti.org/crete/pg/?pg=1110373
Windmills of Lasithi Plateau
Lasithi Plateau
Lasithi, 720 52
Greece
35.183333, 25.466667
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Dikteon Cave

Psichro, Greece

miles away

Spinalonga Island

Lasithi, Greece

miles away

Knossos

Heraklion, Greece

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Lasithi

Lasithi

Greece

Places 2

Nearby Places

Dikteon Cave

Psichro, Greece

miles away

Spinalonga Island

Lasithi, Greece

miles away

Knossos

Heraklion, Greece

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Lasithi

Lasithi

Greece

Places 2

Related Places

  • Verfmolen de Kat

    Zaandam, Netherlands

    Verfmolen De Kat

    This windmill has been grinding pigments for traditional paints for more than 200 years.

  • Dumfries Museum—the camera obscura is on the top floor.

    Dumfries, Scotland

    Dumfries Camera Obscura

    The oldest working camera obscura in the world sits on the top floor of an old windmill tower.

  • The Ta’ Kola Windmill.

    Xagħra, Malta

    Ta' Kola Windmill

    This is one of the very few intact windmills built by the Knights of St. John in the island nation of Malta.

  • Westzaan, Netherlands

    Papiermolen De Schoolmeester

    The only remaining wind-powered paper mill in the world.

  • Display of actual Windmill produced in the factory

    Nebraska City, Nebraska

    Kregel Windmill Factory Museum

    Over a million artifacts fill this factory-turned-museum that explores the history of American windmill production.

  • Little Chute Windmill

    Little Chute, Wisconsin

    Little Chute Windmill

    An authentic Dutch windmill, built in the Netherlands and shipped to Wisconsin.

  • Dutch Windmill Museum

    Nederland, Texas

    Dutch Windmill Museum

    A replica of a Dutch windmill in honor of those who settled in the region from the Netherlands.

  • De Riekermolen

    Amsterdam, Netherlands

    De Riekermolen

    A beautifully rebuilt windmill from the 17th century, situated along the Amstel River.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.