I’ve traveled to the Netherlands several times over the years. My most recent trip was, unfortunately, way back in 1991. One of the most fascinating things about this country — besides its legendary tolerance, beautiful architecture, art, etc. — is that it continues to grow. I’m not talking about population, I’m talking about land mass. The Dutch routinely reclaim land from the North Sea. These reclaimed areas are known a polders:
No other nation has been so successful in reclaiming land from water than the Dutch. Nonetheless, all children fret when the advancing seawater threatens to destroy their handsome sandcastles. Dams appear to offer a solution, but the channels immediately fill up again. In the age-old battle against water the Dutch have discovered how to keep the land dry.
The Dutch have been building Polders for centuries:
In 1986, the Netherlands proclaimed the new 12th province of Flevoland but they didn’t carve out the province from already existing land nor did they annex the territory of their neighbors – Germany and Belgium. The Netherlands actually grew.
The Dutch and their ancestors have been working to hold back and reclaim land from the North Sea for over 2000 years. Over 2000 years ago, the Frisians who first settled the Netherlands began to build terpen, the first dykes to hold back the water.
In 1287 the terpen and dykes that held back the North Sea failed, and water flooded the country. A new bay, called Zuiderzee (South Sea) was created over former farmland. For the next few centuries, the Dutch worked to slowly push back the water of the Zuiderzee, building dykes and creating polders (the term used to described any piece of land reclaimed from water). Once dykes are built, canals and pumps are used to drain the land and to keep it dry. From the 1200s, windmills had been used to pump excess water off the fertile soil; today most of the windmills have been replaced with electricity- and diesel-driven pumps.
When I heard that blithering idiot, Hastert, suggest abandoning one of this country’s most culturally important cities, I immediately thought that our current leadership couldn’t properly govern a 7-11, let alone this great nation.
I also thought of the Dutch, and how they don’t let a little thing like the North Sea get in their way:
Surely we Americans have the mettle to reclaim New Orleans from the relatively pond-like (most of the time) Gulf of Mexico — especially if we can get our Dutch friends to lend a hand.
And let’s tell Hastert to put a sock in it.
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Excellent diary :: a challenge close to home.
Schiphol is indeed defined as recently posted. It’s the bottom of the Lake called Haarlemmermeer and was regained for agriculture in 1853.
Dutch poet Nicolaas Beets had written a poem:
Great lake, great lake
I’d wished ye were pumped dry
`Cause ye eat away, so many years
From my pasture with your waves
`T may cost me plenty money
To see your wrath curtailed.
Plans to lay dry this great lake were drawn up in the seventeenth century, but nothing came of it. The mighty city states of Haarlem and Gouda would not cooperate, as important revenues were received from the inland shipping between cities – see Leidsche Trekvaart.
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and we should have studied their system ages ago.
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The disasters cannot be compared as the situation is quite different. The damage to the Dutch dikes, 115 miles destroyed and an area of 380,000 acres were inundated . Mostly agricultural land with a number of towns, villages and cities with harbors of fishing based communities. The Dutch have lived with storms and dikes for centuries, the storm watch was in place but the storm was no match for the limited dikes.
Similar to the damage done by Katrina hurricane, the authorities were warned for poor funding to have the dikes restored and meet the expected fury of a storm once in fifty years, that would flood the land.
<click on map for animation storm surge North Sea coastline in 1953>The consequences of the storm were desastreus: 1835 persons drowned, and some 20,000 cows, 1,750 horses and 12,000 pigs perished in the waves. Houses, schools, churches and other buildings: 47,300 damaged of which 10,000 irreparable. A length of 115 miles of dikes were destroyed or severely damaged by the power of the storm and waves resulting in flooding of 153,000 hectares (380,000 acres).
A total of 72,000 persons were evacuated, therefore 1 : 40 were killed in the storm, approx. 2,5% of the population.
Sea, tides and sand dunes
A resistance, determination to exist and fight the elements of nature.
but the Dutch created the Netherlands.”
American tourists do feel a bit uncomfortable in their approach to Amsterdam Airport: “Welcome ladies and gentlemen. We’ll shortly be landing at Schiphol Airport, 15 feet below sea level.”
The Dutch do fear the onslaught of rising sea level as predicted by global warming and the melting glaciers. But after the 1953 spring tide storm disaster in their southern province of Zeeland, the Dutch rebuild all their dikes to a higher level and the immense structures to withstand all storms for a thousand years, statistically.
The design of dikes has been unchanged for centuries, and only recently has seen a first failure of a sliding dike, due to … drought! The Dutch design of dikes can also be witnessed in France, Normandy, from centuries ago.
Emblem of Zeeland ProvinceCoastal Guide to the Netherlands
World Atlas
To battle the rising tide – a political lesson from the Dutch: resistance, determination and invest in a plan.
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Once again, look at a small, highly populated country like the Netherlands, with striking similarities to the problems New Orleans is confronted with in the Mississippi delta :: a balance between living – economy – nature.
The Dutch build an open Storm Surge Barrier and reclaim land from large lakes and the North Sea. The Dutch have also created one of Europe’s largest wild bird refuge regions. This in addition to existing natural beauty of the coastline, dunes and landscape.
To perform well in Europe’s economy, Rotterdam harbor and the oil refineries outperform any other region within the Netherlands and are a natural asset for the motor of the economy. The link by Rhine river to Germany’s large Industrial Region of the Rhur is essential. The new infrastructure is in place and often after great political battles inside the country.
<click on pic for more …>
Oostvaardersplassen
Nevertheless, the Dutch can be proud of their heritage, although they are never seen to be satisfied. The gas reserves of Slochteren are of course a huge importance to the Dutch budget and export balance.
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