The charming symbol of the Dutch windmill belies its vital purpose in the history of The Netherlands. The eminently useful windmill is credited with building the country into a major world player in trade and naval prowess in the 17th and 18th centuries. With windmills, the Dutch harnessed the wind as no people had done before. Ten thousand working windmills dotted the land in the early 20th century but today only around 1,200 remain. They are preserved as important cultural and historic sites and are very popular tourist destinations.