The Seven Mondern Wonders - The Zuiderzee and Delta Works Other: Turned the Zuiderzee from a bay into a lake. Taming the Zuiderzee One of most notable features of the Netherlands was the Zuiderzee. The name meant "Southern Sea" in Dutch, but it was actually a shallow bay of the North Sea that ran 60 miles (100km) inland and was about 30 miles (50km) wide. Despite its great size covering almost 2000 square miles it was only about 15 feet deep. While the Zuiderzee was a resource for fishing and allowed access for trade, it could become dangerous whenever one of the frequent North Sea storms would push water through the bay's inlet. Dikes would fail and the resulting floods would kill hundreds or even thousands of people. In 1421 a seawall on the Zuiderzee dike broke during a storm and flooded 72 villages killing about 10,000 people. In the 17th century the first plans to address this problem were drawn up. It wasn't until the 19th century, however, that the technology to actually do the job was developed.

Cornelis Lely, a Dutch civil engineer, came up with a plan that proposed building a long dam that would close off the Zuiderzee and turn it into a lake. The plan also included building four polders in the lake that would be drained and used mainly for agriculture. Lely became Minister of Transport and Public Works in 1913 and tried to push his plan forward. Not everybody agreed with his ideas, however. Fishermen along the Zuiderzee were concerned that they would lose their livelihood. Others were worried that such a project might create higher water levels at other places along the coast. The government was also alarmed about the enormous price tag of the project. In 1916 during a winter storm, however, several dikes gave way along the Zuiderzee and the result was more damaging floods. After this disaster Lely's bold plan gained much public support. On June 14, 1918 the Zuiderzee Act was passed and the project was officially started. Its goals were to protect the region against floods from the North Sea, increase the country's food supply by creating polders that could be turned into farmland and use what remained of the Zuiderzee to improve water management.

Construction on the Afsluitdijk in 1931 The Afsluitdijk The first step in the plan was to enclose the Zuiderzee by building a 20 mile long dam across the bay. Something like this had never been done before, so the Dutch engineers made the wise decision to start by building a much shorter dam out to the island of Wieringen which would form the first part of the enclosure of the bay. The experience gained in the exercise was valuable when the longer dam, the Afsluitdijk, was built from the other side of Wieringen across the bay to the village of Zurich in 1927. The engineers found that a type of material called till (or boulder clay) made an excellent base for the dam. As the name suggests it is a mixture of small boulders and clay that was deposited during the Glacial Period. Fortunately it was readily available as it could be obtained by simply dredging it up from the bottom of the Zuiderzee. The till was loaded into ships which hauled it out to the mouth of the bay and dropped it onto two parallel lines along what would be the course of the dam.

The space between the two rows of till was filled with regular sand, and then a layer of till was placed on top. To complete the base of the dam a coating of basalt rock and willow branches was laid down. The dam's design called for it to rise 25 feet above sea level, so another layer of sand was placed to top of that, which was covered with another deposit of till. The surface was then planted with grass to help guard against erosion. The project proceeded faster than planned and was two years ahead of schedule when on May 28, 1932 the last connection to the sea was closed that the Zuiderzee became a lake named Ijsselmeer. Then dam took another year to fully complete as a road was built along the top and 25 sluices were constructed to allow excess water in the lake to be discharged to the sea. Two sets of locks were also created to allow ships to move in and out of the Ijsselmeer to the ocean. It is estimated the dam cost the equivalent of $710 million in 2004 United States dollars.

Making Land Even before the Afsluitdijk was complete, the Dutch started working on the first of the polders, the Wieringermeer. It's dikes were completed in 1929 and by 1930 it had been pumped dry, not by windmills, but by one modern diesel powered pumping station and one electrically powered pumping station. Both used large Archimedes screw type pumps to move the water. Additional work took another four years before the land could be used for agriculture and construction. The polder added a total of 75 square miles of area to the country. The second polder, the Noordoostpolder, was started in 1936 and draining it wasn't finished until 1942. The area turned out to be a good resource for the Dutch Underground resistance in World War II as it provided almost 230 square miles of undeveloped land to hide from the Nazi occupation force. World War II also brought some setbacks to the project, however. In April 1945, the retreating German forces blew up the dike of the Wieringermeer, flooding the land again.

Fortunately the Dutch managed to reclaim the polder by the end of the year, though much of the infrastructure was destroyed and had to be rebuilt. In 1950 work on the the Oostelijk Flevoland, the third polder, was started and by 1957 it had added 208 square miles of territory to the Netherlands. Two years later work on the fourth polder, Zuidelijk Flevoland, was started and finished in 1967. The Dutch considered building a fifth polder in the Ijsselmeer, but after several false starts, it was never completed. Even so the territory created by the project totaled over 895 square miles. The Delta Works The Delta Works were a series of construction projects started in 1950 designed to limit flooding. Just south of the Netherlands city of Rotterdam the Rhine, Meuse and Scheldt rivers meet the North Sea. This estuary area was extremely low lying and had been subject to heavy floods for centuries. Shortly after the completion of the Afsluitdijk, the Dutch decided they could limit the damage to this area by using dams to effectively shorten the coastline.

No work was started until the 1950's however. The Zuiderzee plan drawn up by Lely in 1891. A major flood in the region during January 1953 killed more than 1,800 people when a storm surge caused 89 dikes to fail. Over 72,000 residents had to be evacuated and 10,000 houses and buildings were destroyed. Repair and reconstruction cost nearly a billion dollars. This prompted the government move forward with the project as quickly as it could. Originally the plan called for estuaries Oosterschelde, Haringvliet and Grevelingen to be dammed and turned into lakes, just like the Ijsselmeer. Because of environmental concerns, however, it was decided to protect the Oosterschelde from storm surges by a barrier instead. The storm surge barrier is a series of massive values that are normally open so that water can move in and out of the estuary. This helps preserve the natural environment. However the valves can be closed to create a dam during a storm so no high water enters the area.

Another storm surge barrier was also built to protect the river Nieuwe Waterweg when raising the existing levees along the waterway proved too difficult. Though officially completed in 1997 at the cost of $7 billion, the Netherlands continues to add infrastructure to the Delta works as needed. It is estimated that it will continue to need construction to protect the area against the rising water levels caused by global warming. Copyright 2011 Lee Krystek. All Rights Reserved. Zuider Zee - The Full Wiki The Full Wiki More info on Zuider Zee Wikis Mediterranean Zuider Zee: Wikis Note: Many of our articles have direct quotes from sources you can cite, within the Wikipedia article! This article doesn't yet, but we're working on it! See more info or our list of citable articles .

Related top topics From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Historical map of the Netherlands (1658) with De Zuyder Zee' The Zuiderzee ( /ˌzaɪdər ˈzeɪ/; Dutch : Zuiderzee, Dutch: [ˈzœydərzeː] ) was a shallow inlet of the North Sea in the northwest of the Netherlands , extending about 100 km (62 miles) inland and at most 50 km (31 miles) wide, with an overall depth of about 4 to 5 metres (13-16 feet) and a coastline of about 300 km (186 miles). It covered 5,000 km² (2,000 square miles). Its name means "southern sea" in Dutch, indicating that the origin of the name can be found in Friesland to the north of the Zuiderzee (also see North Sea ).

In the 20th century the majority of the Zuiderzee was closed off from the North Sea (leaving the mouth of the inlet to become part of the Wadden Sea ) and the salt water inlet changed into a fresh water lake called the IJsselmeer ( IJssel -lake) after the river that drains into it. The river IJssel is an estuary branch of the river Rhine (Dutch: Rijn). Contents History and disasters Approximate landscape in North Holland during the 1st century AD (left) and the 10th century AD (right) Vliestroom indicated by arrow In classical times there was already a body of water in this location, called Lacus Flevo ("Flevo Lake") by Roman authors. It was much smaller than its later forms and its connection to the main sea was much narrower; it may have been a complex of lakes and marshes and channels, rather than one lake. Over time these lakes gradually eroded their soft peat shores and spread (a process known as waterwolf ).

Some part of this area of water was later called the Vlie; it probably flowed into the sea through what is now the Vliestroom channel between the islands of Vlieland and Terschelling . The Marsdiep was once a river (fluvium Maresdeop) which may have been a distributary of the Vlie . During the early Middle Ages this began to change as rising sea levels and storms started to eat away at the coastal areas which consisted mainly of peatlands. In this period the inlet was referred to as the Almere, indicating it was still more of a lake, but when the mouth and size of the inlet were much widened in the 12th century and especially after a disastrous flood in 1282 [1] broke through the barrier dunes near Texel , the name "Zuiderzee"' came into general usage. The disaster was the making of the little village of Amsterdam , for seagoing traffic could now make it a rendezvous for the Baltic trade.

The size of this inland sea remained largely stable from the 15th century onwards due to improvements in dikes , but when storms pushed North Sea water into the inlet, the Zuiderzee became a volatile cauldron of water, frequently resulting in flooding and the loss of ships. For example, on 18 November 1421, a seawall at the Zuiderzee dike broke, which flooded 72 villages and killed about 10,000 people. This was the Second St. Elizabeth's Flood: see Sint-Elisabethsvloed (1421) . An even more massive flood occurred 14 December 1287, when the seawalls broke during a storm, killing approximately 50,000 to 80,000 people in the fifth largest flood in recorded history: see St. Lucia's flood . The Netherlands was part of the First French Empire between 1810 and 1813. A département was formed in 1811 and named as Zuyderzée after the Zuiderzee, of which the territory roughly corresponded to the present provinces of North Holland and Utrecht .

Geography and development Landsat photo Around the Zuiderzee many fishing villages grew up and several developed into walled towns with extensive trade connections, in particular Kampen , a town in Overijssel , and later also towns in Holland such as Amsterdam , Hoorn , and Enkhuizen . These towns traded at first with ports on the Baltic Sea , in England , and in the Hanseatic League , but later also with the rest of the world, when the Netherlands established its colonial empire . When that lucrative trade diminished, most of the towns fell back on fishing and some industry until the 20th century when tourism became the major source of income. Contained within the Zuiderzee were four small islands, the remains of what were once larger islands or peninsulas connected to the mainland . These were Wieringen , Urk , Schokland , and Marken . The inhabitants of these islands also subsisted mainly on fishing and related industries and still do in the case of Urk and Wieringen. All of these islands are now part of the mainland or connected to it.

Map of the Zuiderzeeworks in the Netherlands The construction in the early 20th century of a large enclosing dam (the Afsluitdijk ) tamed the Zuiderzee. The creation of this dam was a response to the flood of January 1916. Plans for closing the Zuiderzee had been made over thirty years earlier but had not yet passed in parliament . With the completion of the Afsluitdijk in 1932, the Zuiderzee became the IJsselmeer , and large areas of water could be reclaimed for farming and housing. These areas, known as polders , were respectively the Wieringermeer , the Noordoostpolder , and Flevoland . This enormous project under the direction of Cornelis Lely , called the Zuiderzeeworks , ran from 1919 to 1986, culminating in the creation of the new province of Flevoland . The reclamation project was originally intended to reclaim the former southwestern portion of the Zuiderzee, a body of water now known as the Markermeer , but this final stage of the reclamation project was indefinitely postponed in the 1980s.

In popular culture Lyrics of the song " You're the Top " from the 1934 Broadway musical Anything Goes by Cole Porter : "...You're the boats that glide on the sleepy Zuiderzee." In the Michael Peter Smith song " The Dutchman ," made famous by Steve Goodman and also performed by Cashman and West, a line in the chorus reads "Let us go to the banks of the ocean, where the walls rise above the Zuiderzee..." In the Brian Eno song "Mother Whale Eyeless," the inlet is mentioned: "What do I care? / I'm wasting fingers like I have them to spare / Plugging holes in the Zuiderzee." References ^ Buisman, Jan, Duizend jaar weer, wind en water in de Lage Landen (Deel 1: tot 1300), ISBN 9789051940756 External links The Zuiderzee Museum ( , dedicated to the history and culture of the former Zuiderzee. Multimedia CBC Archives Matthew Halton of CBC Radio (19 April 1945) reports on German destruction of the sea walls.

Up to date as of January 14, 2010 From LoveToKnow 1911 ZUIDER ZEE, or Zuyder Zee, a land-locked inlet on the coast of Holland , bounded N. by the chain of the Frisian Islands , and W., S., and E. by the provinces of North Holland , Utrecht , Gelderland , Overysel , and Friesland . It is about 85 m. long N. to S., and from 10 to 45 m. broad, with an area of 2027 sq. m., and contains the islands of Marken, Schokland, Urk, Wieringen, and Griend. In the early centuries of the Christian era the Zuider (i.e. Southern) Zee was a small inland lake situated in the southern part of the present gulf, and called Flevo by Tacitus, Pliny , and other early writers. It was separated from the sea by a belt of marsh and fen uniting Friesland and North Holland, the original coast-line being still indicated by the line of the Frisian Islands.

Numerous streams, including the Vecht, Eem, and Ysel, discharged their waters into this lake and issued thence as the Vlie (Latin Flevus), which reached the North Sea by the Vliegat between the islands of Vlieland and Terschelling. In the Lex Frisonum the Vlie (Fli, or Flehi) is accepted as the boundary between the territory of the East and West Frisians . In time, however, and especially during the 12th century, high tides and north-west storms swept away the western banks of the Vlie and submerged great tracts of land. In 1170 the land between Stavoren, Texel, and Medemblik was washed away, and a century later the Zuider Zee was formed. The open waterway between Stavoren and Enkhuizen , however, as it now exists, dates from 1400. In the south and east the destruction was arrested by the high sandy shores of Gooi, Veluwe, Voorst, and Gasterland in the provinces of Utrecht, Gelderland, Overysel, and Friesland respectively.

The mean depth of the Zuider Zee is 11.48 ft.; depth in the southern basin of the former lake, 19 ft.; at Val van Urk (deep water to the west of the island of Urk), 142 ft. If a line be drawn from the island of Urk to Marken, and thence westwards to Hoorn (North Holland) and N.N.E. to Lemmer (Friesland), these lines will connect parts of the Zuider Zee having a uniform depth of 8 ft. The other parts on the coast are only 3 ft. deep or less. This shallowness of its waters served to protect the Zuider Zee from the invasion of large ships of war. It also explains how many once flourishing commercial towns, such as Stavoren, Medemblik, Enkhuizen, Hoorn, Monnikendam , declined to the rank of provincial trading and fishing ports. The fisheries of the Zuider Zee are of considerable importance. Eighty per cent. of the bottom consists of sea clay and the more recent silt of the Ysel; 20 per cent.

of sand , partly in the north about Urk and Enkhuizen, partly in the south along the high shores of Gooi, Veluwe, &c. The shallowness of the sea and the character of its bottom, promising fertile soil, occasioned various projects of drainage. The scheme recommended by the Zuider Zee Vereeniging (1886) formed the subject of a report in 1894 by a state commission. The principal feature in the scheme was the building of a dike from the island of Wieringen to the coast of Friesland. The area south of this would be divided into four polders, with reservation , however, of a lake, Yselmeer, in the centre, whence branches would run to Ysel and the Zwolsche Diep, to Amsterdam , and, by sluices near Wieringen, to the northern part of the sea. The four polders with their areas of fertile soil would be: (I) North-west polder , area 53,599 acres; fertile soil, 46,189 acres.

(2) South-west „ „ 77, 8 54 „ „ 68,715 „ (3) South-east „ „ 266,167 „ „ „ 222,275 „ (4) North-east „ „ 12 5,599 „ 120,783 „ The Lake Yselmeer would have an area of 560 sq. m. The gain would be the addition to the kingdom of a new and fertile province of the area of North Brabant , a saving of expenses on dikes, diminution of inundations, improvement of communication between the south and the north of the kingdom, protection of isles of the sea, &c.

The costs were calculated as follows: (I) enclosing dike, sluices, and regulation of Zwolsche Diep, £1,760,000; (2) reclamation of four polders, £5,200,000; (3) defensive works, £400,000; (4) indemnity to fishermen, £180,000; total, £7,540,000. In 1901 the government introduced a bill in the States General , based on the recommendations of the commission, providing for enclosing the Zuider Zee by building a dike from the North Holland coast, through the Amsteldiep to Wieringen and from that island to the Friesland coast at Piaam; and further providing for the draining of two portions of the enclosed area, namely the N.W. and the S.W. polders shown in the table. The entire work was to be completed in 18 years at an estimated cost of £7,956,000.

The bill failed to become law and in consequence of financial difficulties the project had not, up to 1910, advanced beyond the stage of consideration. With the exception of Griend and Schokland, the islands of the Zuider Zee are inhabited by small fishing communities, who retain some archaic customs and a picturesque dress . Urk is already mentioned as an island in 966. The inhabitants of Schokland were compelled to leave the island by order of the state in 1859, it being considered insecure from inundation. The island of Griend (or Grind) once boasted a walled town, which was destroyed by flood at the end of the 13th century. But the island continued for some centuries to serve as a pasturage for cattle , giving its name to a well-known description of cheese . Like some of the other islands, sheep are still brought to graze upon it in summer, and a large number of birds' eggs are collected upon it in spring. Several of the islands were once the property of religious houses on the mainland.

The British Foreign Office report, Draining of the Zuiderzee (1901), gives full particulars of the Dutch government's scheme and a retrospect of all former proposals. See also De economische beteekens van de afsluiting en drooglegging der Zuiderzee vom ZuiderzeeVerein (2nd ed., 1901), and D. Bellet, "Le dessechement du Zuiderzee," Rev. Geog. (1902) and W. J. Tuyn, Oude Hollandsche Dorpen aan de Zuiderzee (Haarlem, 1900). Zuider Zee Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index Zuider Zee The Zuider Zee ( Dutch : Zuiderzee) was a former shallow inlet of the North Sea in the northwest of the Netherlands , extending about 100 km inland and at most 50 km wide, with an overall depth of about 4 to 5 meters and a coastline of about 300 km.

Its name means "southern sea" in Dutch, indicating that the origin of the name can be found in Friesland to the north of the Zuiderzee (also see North Sea ). In the 20th century the majority of the Zuiderzee was closed off from the North Sea (leaving the mouth of the inlet to become part of the Wadden Sea ) and the salt water inlet changed into a fresh water lake called the IJsselmeer ( IJssel -lake) after the river that drains into it. The river IJssel is an estuary branch of the river Rhine. In classical times there was already a body of water in this location, called the Flevo Lake by Roman authors. It was, however, much smaller in size than its later forms and its connection to the main sea was much narrower. During the early Middle Ages this began to change as increasing sea levels and storms started to eat away at the coastal areas which consisted mainly of peatlands.

In this period the inlet was referred to as the Almere indicating it was still more of a lake, but when the mouth and size of the inlet were significantly widened in the 12th and 13th century by several major storms, the name Zuiderzee came into general usage. The size of this inland sea remained largly stable from the 15th century onwards due to improvements in dikes , but when a storm would push North Sea water into the inlet, the Zuiderzee would become a volatile cauldron of water, frequently resulting in flooding and the loss of ships. For example, on November 18 , 1421 a seawall at the Zuider Zee dike broke, which flooded 72 villages and killed about 10,000 people. Around the Zuiderzee many fishing villages grew up and several developed into walled towns with extensive trade connections, at first with the Baltic Sea , England and the Hanseatic League , but later also with the rest of the world when the Netherlands established its colonial connections, in particular towns in Holland such as Amsterdam , Hoorn and Enkhuizen .

When that lucrative trade diminished, most of the towns were left with fishery and some industry until the 20th century when tourism became the major source of income. Contained within the Zuiderzee were four small islands, the remains of what were once larger islands or peninsulas connected to the mainland. These were Wieringen , Urk , Schokland and Marken . The inhabitants of these islands also subsisted mainly on fishery and related industries and still do in the case of Urk and Wieringen. All islands are now part of the mainland or connected to it. The 20th century would see the taming of the Zuiderzee as a large closing dam (the Afsluitdijk ) was constructed. Completed in 1932 , the Zuiderzee was now the IJsselmeer and large areas of water could be reclaimed for farming and housing. This enormous project, called the Zuiderzeeworks , ran from 1919 to 1986 , culminating in the creation of the new province of Flevoland .

External links The Zuiderzee – ( Southern Sea ) | JLG Real Estate Amsterdam | Rentals and Sales 020 33 000 31 The Zuiderzee – ( Southern Sea ) The Zuiderzee was a shallow inlet of the North Sea in the northwest of the Netherlands, extending about 100 km inland and at most 50 km wide, with an overall depth of about 4 to 5 meters and a coastline of about 300 km. It covered 5.000 km². (2.000 square miles). Its name means "Southern Sea" in Dutch, indicating that the origin of the name can be found in Friesland to the north of the Zuiderzee (also see North Sea) In the 20th century the majority of the Zuiderzee was closed off from the North Sea (leaving the mouth of the inlet to become part of the Wadden Sea) and the salt water inlet changed into a fresh water lake called the IJsselmeer (IJssel lake) after the river that drains into it. The river IJssel is an estuary branch of the river Rhine (Dutch: Rijn).

History and disasters In classical times there was already a body of water in this location, called Lacus Flevo ("Flevo Lake") by Roman authors. It was much smaller than its later forms and its connection to the main sea was much narrower; it may have been a complex of lakes and marshes and channels, rather than one lake. Over time these lakes gradually eroded their soft peat shores and spread. Some part of this area of water was later called the Vlie; it probably flowed into the sea through what is now the Vliestroom channel between the islands of Vlieland and Terschelling. The Marsdiep was once a river (fluvium Maresdeop) which may have been a distributary of the Vlie. During the early Middle Ages this began to change as rising sea levels and storms started to eat away at the coastal areas which consisted mainly of peatlands.

In this period the inlet was referred to as the Almere, indicating it was still more of a lake, but when the mouth and size of the inlet were much widened in the 12th century and especially after a disastrous flood in 1282 broke through the barrier dunes near Texel, the name "Zuiderzee"’ came into general usage. The disaster was the making of the little village of Amsterdam , for sea-going traffic could now make it a rendezvous for the Baltic trade. The size of this inland sea remained largely stable from the 15th century onwards due to improvements in dikes, but when storms pushed North Sea water into the inlet, the Zuiderzee became a volatile cauldron of water, frequently resulting in flooding and the loss of ships. For example, on November 18th, 1421, a seawall at the Zuider Zee dike broke, which flooded 72 villages and killed about 10,000 people. This was the Second St. Elizabeth’s Flood.

An even more massive flood occurred December 14th, 1287, when the seawalls broke during a storm, killing approximately 50.000 to 80.000 people in the fifth largest flood in recorded history: St. Lucia’s flood. Geography and development Around the Zuiderzee many fishing villages grew up and several developed into walled towns with extensive trade connections, in particular towns in Holland such as Amsterdam, Hoorn, and Enkhuizen. These towns traded at first with ports on the Baltic Sea, in England, and in the Hanseatic League, but later also with the rest of the world, when the Netherlands established its colonial empire. When that lucrative trade diminished, most of the towns fell back on fishing and some industry until the 20th century when tourism became the major source of income. Contained within the Zuiderzee were four small islands, the remains of what were once larger islands or peninsulas connected to the mainland. These were Wieringen, Urk, Schokland, and Marken. The inhabitants of these islands also subsisted mainly on fishing and related industries and still do in the case of Urk and Wieringen.

All of these islands are now part of the mainland or connected to it. The construction in the early 20th century of a large enclosing dam (the Afsluitdijk) tamed the Zuiderzee. The creation of this dam was a response to the flood of January 1916. Plans for closing the Zuiderzee had been made over thirty years earlier but had not yet passed in parliament. With the completion of the Afsluitdijk in 1932, the Zuiderzee became the IJsselmeer, and large areas of water could be reclaimed for farming and housing. These areas, known as polders, were respectively the Wieringermeer, the Noordoostpolder, and Flevoland. This enormous project under the direction of Cornelis Lely, called the Zuiderzeeworks, ran from 1919 to 1986, culminating in the creation of the new province of Flevoland. The reclamation project was originally intended to reclaim the former southwestern portion of the Zuiderzee, a body of water now known as the Markermeer, but this final stage of the reclamation project was indefinitely postponed in the 1980s.

JLG Real Estate BV IJsselmeer in Netherlands - 1,100 km2 - Ijssel Lake Facts, Map 0 BOOK IJsselmeer Information and Facts Ijsselmeer is a shallow artificial lake, the largest in the Netherlands and in Western Europe. The lake was created in 1932 and was initially part of the Zuider Zee, but was closed off by a man-made dyke. Geographic Facts IJsselmeer lies northeast of Amsterdam, surrounded by an open and green landscape. The lake belongs to the Flevoland, North Holland and Friesland provinces and has an average depth of 5-6 meters. It is fed by several rivers, including the Amstel, Rhine, Vecht and the Ijssel, which is a branch of the Rhine. IJsselmeer functions as a major freshwater reserve, and as a source for agriculture and drinking water. History of its Construction Before the 13th century the area was governed by a series of freshwater lakes. After a change in local climate and because of the massive peat harvest that occurred around that time, the resistance of fresh water to the salt water weakened.

After this, a massive tidal wave happened, which allowed the sea to encroach and the vegetation to dry off. In the 14th century the area was just a small and shallow branch of the North Sea. During Amsterdam’s Golden Age, when its boats sailed the newly created Zuider Zee towards Scandinavia, the Baltic area and the Orient, the region quickly became known as “The Golden Circle”. The downside of this fact was that the small towns along parts of the lakeshore were nourished with floods, whilst those on the eastern part witnessed an increase in local economy. At the end of the 18th century the trading declined, so even the wealthier ports were economically stranded. The Zuider Zee supported a batch of fishing villages. In 1891 Cornelis Lely, a Dutch civil engineer and statesman proposed a retaining dyke to solve the flooding crisis in the area. Concrete plans were made after another devastating flood in 1916. Construction work began in 1920 and on the 28th of May 1932 the last gap was closed and the Zuider Zee ceased to exist, being replaced by the IJsselmeer.

The 32-kilometers long Afsluitdijk dam is located 8 meters above sea level. It wasa originally part of a major hydraulic engineering project, which years later led to the reclaiming of the land from the IJsselmeer, reducing the lake’s original surface area. In 1975 the lake further split into two, thanks to the completion of the Houtribdijk. This is located on the southwestern end of the lake and is called Markermeer. The province of Flevoland was established in 1986, and is made up of three polders reclaimed from the lake. Lake Kefelmeer is a narrow lake located East of IJsselmeer, which gets its water from rivers which contain industrial pollutants from the factories lying upstream. This waste settled into the bottom of the lake, in a thick layer of contaminated sludge. In 2010 attempts have been made in order to restore a normal aquatic environment. An artificial island called IJsseloog was installed on the lake, as a repository for the contaminated water dredged from the bottom of the lake. Once this repository is filled, it will be capped and transformed into a nature reserve.

Tourism and Recreation The lake is mainly used for transport, fishing, sand mining, wind energy generating and water sports activities. It is considered one of the best lakes for sailing in the country. The lake’s shores can be explored either on foot or by bike. The scenic bike routes lead through rural farmlands, highways, roads and lovely little town streets. There are also a number of nice beaches, perfect for families with little children, since the water is shallow. Populated Place Noord-Holland Guide | Netherlands Travel | Rough Guides Europe » Netherlands » Noord-Holland Stretching north from Amsterdam to the island of Texel, the province of Noord-Holland is largely rural, its polder landscapes of green, pancake-flat fields intercepted by hundreds of drainage canals and ditches, and its wide horizons only interrupted by the odd farmhouse or windmill. The province’s west coast is defended from the ocean by a long belt of sand dunes, which is itself shielded by long and broad sandy beaches, and it’s these that attract holidaying Netherlanders.

Much of the east coast has been reclaimed from what was once the saltwater Zuider Zee and is now, after the construction of two complementary dykes, the freshwater Markermeer and IJsselmeer. Here, along this deeply indented coast, lies a string of old seaports which flourished from the fourteenth to the eighteenth century on the back of the sea trade with the Baltic. Noord-Holland’s principal urban highlight is Haarlem , an easy-going town with more than its fair share of Golden Age buildings, the province’s best art gallery, and ready access to some wild stretches of dune and beach in the Nationaal Park Zuid-Kennemerland . Northeast of the capital, the old Zuider Zee ports of Marken , Volendam and Edam are a bit touristy in summer, but have considerable charm if you visit off-season. Further north, Hoorn and Enkhuizen were once major Zuider Zee ports, and their historic wealth is reflected in a scattering of handsome old buildings. Enkhuizen, in particular, is very attractive and has one of the country’s best open-air museums, the Zuiderzeemuseum .

A short train ride north of Amsterdam is the Zaanstad conurbation, whose chief attraction is the antique windmills and canals of Zaanse Schans . Further up the line, the pleasant provincial town of Alkmaar has a much-touted summer cheese market, and makes a good base for exploring two protected coastal zones, the Noordhollands Duinreservaat (North Holland Dune Reserve) and the Schoorlse Duinen Nationaalpark . Beyond, in the far north of the province, the island of Texel is the most accessible of the Waddenzee islands. It can get crowded in summer, but don’t be put off: with a bit of walking – or cycling – you can easily find some solitude. Most of Noord-Holland is located north of Amsterdam, though the borders of the province also dip round the city, taking in an area known as Het Gooi , where the highlights are the small town of Muiden with its castle and the old fortified town of Naarden . Noord-Holland back to index Holland vs.

the Sea There's an old saying in Holland: "God created the earth — except Holland, which was created by the Dutch." Dutch history is an unending battle against the sea. Geography is not something remote to the Dutch, but a daily reality. The land is brittle, much of it below sea level, protected from the sea by a thin, fragile line of coastal dunes. The word Holland itself means "hollow land". Again and again in history, the sea has broken through, sometimes flooding large areas. Worst break through of all occurred in Middle Ages: water swallowed up about 10% of the whole country, creating the Zuider Zee. (Name means "South Sea" as against "North Sea.") Other times in history (1421, 1570, 1953), the sea has broken through; 1800 people drowned in 1953! Worst of all: the sea is steadily rising and the land is sinking; high tides are slightly higher each year. Thus, new dykes and strict control of coastline is a permanent necessity.

Half of the country is below the sea level at high tide; some parts are below even the low tide (thus water cannot just "flow out" to sea as low tide, but must always be pumped out). The reality of the sea has shaped the Dutch character, requiring hard, incessant work to keep the dykes intact. Dyke-making has always been the "basic industry" of the Dutch — even in prehistoric times. Back then, people dwelling here called Frisians (the area they settled now called Friesland). Lived on large artificial mounds (about 400 B.C.). Over 1,500 such mounds have been discovered: in volume they would be 30 times bigger than Great Pyramid of Egypt if lumped together. Frisians set the pattern that has continued ever since: constant struggle to defend the land from the sea. Romans came next, and then the Christian kingdom of Charlemagne, which included Holland. But neither were able to subdue the Frisians — the most rugged of the Dutchman's ancestors. Frisians massacred first Christian missionaries to reach them, including St. Boniface (754).

Another land-reclamation project developed later in the south, near what is today the Belgian border. These medieval dykes were built by hand, slowly, century after century. The Dutch word polder began to be used in 1219 — refers to an area of land reclaimed from the sea. Holland now dotted with such polders, which make up 40% of the land. Large organizations appeared to supervise dyke maintenance and land reclamation — they still function, and are Holland's most important safeguard against flooding. (All dykes in Holland run by the Waterstaat.) Next great stage of land reclamation was during Holland's "Golden Age", 17th century. Huge banks appeared, and funds were poured into new projects; countryside covered with windmills to pump water off the land. Greatest projects of all have developed recently. First: the reclaiming of the Zuider Zee. This large inlet is now an artificial lake, having been closed off from the sea by the 18-mile Closing Dyke (finished in 1932). Then the pumps went to work, and there are now two polders drained; covered with farms. Pumping goes on.

Eventually, over half the Zuider Zee will be filled with polders. Reclaimed soil rich and fertile — it's never been used. Hence, farm produce from these polders is highest in Europe. Dyke building is expensive, but pays for itself because of the productivity of the new lands. Problem, however, is ridding soil of salt, which takes time. Retreating Nazis blew up one of the dykes on Zuider Zee, flooding one polder. Later the holes were repaired and by 1950 the polder was flourishing with farms. Since the Zuider Sea is no longer a "sea", it has been renamed Lake Ijssel, after River Ijssel flowing into it. Dyke making The first two clay embankments are built, running parallel. Between the embankments a thick layer of reed mats is put down, held with stones. Then sand is piled on top of the mats and between the embankments. The mats keep the sand from slipping away under the clay embankments and out to sea. On top of the sand: bricks, earth, concrete. Most sea dykes are 300 feet thick at base and about 10 feet high.

Sea dykes are more rugged — have to withstand ocean pounding and tides. Interior dykes are lighter, often covered with grass instead of concrete. (You may be able to glimpse the back of the dykes to your left.) In additon to the Zuider Zee, the other big area for dykes is the Delta of two rivers: Rhine and Maas. The Hook of Holland, where we landed, is on the edge of this delta. Delta polders are the oldest in Holland, almost one of the most fragile. Flooding is common. First thing the Dutch did was to alter the course of these rivers, giving them new "beds" (think of the engineering work!), and lining the banks with stout dykes against spring flooding. This area of Holland is known as polderland, because it's nothing but polders. Some of these polders are lower than sea level even at low tide. Question: how, then, is water drained off? It's emptied into ditches, then pumped to higher ditches, then pumped to higher ones, etc., until it reaches sea level and flows off. That's why windmills became popular in Holland, as a source of cheap power to operate all these waterworks.

(The Dutch discovered "alternative energy sources" centuries before anyone else thought about it!) Around these delta polders are three lines of dykes. The first is called the Watchman dyke, the second the Sleeping dyke (i.e. not working, but available at need), the third the Dreaming dyke (for a really bad flood). Importance of dykes shown in the names of Dutch cities, which often end with -dam. (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, etc.) These dams were built as defenses against rivers which would often flood. Amsterdam was the "dam" on the River Amstel, Rotterdam the dam on the River Rotter. Other names end in -dijk (dyke) — Kinderdijk (where the boy plugged the leak in the dyke to save his town), Moerdijk, St. Maartensdijk (St. Martin's Dyke — quite a town to be from!). This battle against the sea has given the Dutch a water complex, as often happens when a culture is dominated by unusual geographical features (e.g. Switzerland). Rituals based on water are a part of Dutch village life: e.g.

funeral processions down canals instead of streets; development of artistic, picturesque bridges; perhaps also — an obsession with cleanliness, in which the Dutch surpass even the Germans. Water is plentiful, and even though it comes from the sea, the soil filters it. Holland is one country that will never have a water shortage — luckily, in view of its large population. The psychological effect of this "water culture" is captured in Albert Camus' novel, The Fall, which is set in Amsterdam. Windmills are a famous feature of the Dutch landscape. They're a necessity to keep pumping water from the soggy land. Hence, the Dutch developed "windmill technology" before anyone else, and taught it to other nations. The Spanish, e.g., learned about windmills from the Dutch when Spain ruled Holland; brought Dutch skills back to Spain and modelled Spanish windmills on the Dutch pattern. In WW II, 200 windmills were destroyed; but 1700 are still in operation. Sometimes, on a polder which is very low and where water seeps in constantly from the sea, hundreds of windmills have to be used to pump out water — sometimes densely clustered together.

(Quite a sight!) Windmill technology is not a dying art, but is developed all the time. E.g. it has been discovered that by tilting the blades 10% up, they will catch the wind more effectively. The expression, "Grist for his mill," is a typically Dutch saying coming from the windmills of Holland. Or, "He has been hit by a windmill vane" (i.e. he is mad). Or, "He who comes first, grinds first" (i.e. first come, first served). Many others. Because of economic importance of windmills, popular rituals have grown up around them. The blades are altered in shape and position for certain occasions. Millers have adopted a "code of the vanes" — a sign language based on position of the blades. When the blades form a cross +, that means the mill is ready for operation. When they are shaped like an X, that means they're temporarily out of service (or not needed). On joyful occasions (weddings, etc.), the blades are arranged one way; for mourning (funerals), they're put a different way.

When a funeral procession comes by, the miller keeps turning the windmill so that the blades face the procession as it moves past. On festive occasions and holidays, the windmills are brightly decorated: flowers, garlands, figures of angels, or the Dutch flag. TAKE THE FIRST STEP Zuider Zee - Free definitions by Babylon Zuider Zee Download this dictionary Zuiderzee The Zuiderzee (; old spelling Zuyderzee) was a shallow bay of the North Sea in the northwest of the Netherlands , extending about 100 km (60 miles) inland and at most 50 km (30 miles) wide, with an overall depth of about 4 to 5 metres (13–16 feet) and a coastline of about 300 km (200 miles). It covered . Its name means "southern sea" in Dutch, indicating that the name originates in Friesland , to the north of the Zuiderzee (cf. North Sea ).

In the 20th century the majority of the Zuiderzee was closed off from the North Sea (leaving the mouth of the inlet to become part of the Wadden Sea ) and the salt water inlet changed into a fresh water lake called the IJsselmeer ( IJssel Lake) after the river that drains into it, and by means of drainage and polders , an area of some was reclaimed as land. This land eventually became the province of Flevoland , with a population of nearly 400,000 (2011). Video results for the word "Zuider Zee" The following video provides you with the correct English pronunciation of the word "Zuider Zee", to help you become a better English speaker.

Zuider zee definition by Babylon’s free dictionary Wikipedia Dictionaries English Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia The Zuiderzee (; old spelling Zuyderzee) was a shallow bay of the North Sea in the northwest of the Netherlands, extending about 100 km (60 miles) inland and at most 50 km (30 miles) wide, with an overall depth of about 4 to 5 metres (13–16 feet) and a coastline of about 300 km (200 miles). It covered . Its name means "southern sea" in Dutch, indicating that the name originates in Friesland, to the north of the Zuiderzee (cf. North Sea). In the 20th century the majority of the Zuiderzee was closed off from the North Sea (leaving the mouth of the inlet to become part of the Wadden Sea) and the salt water inlet changed into a fresh water lake called the IJsselmeer (IJssel Lake) after the river that drains into it, and by means of drainage and polders, an area of some was reclaimed as land.

This land eventually became the province of Flevoland, with a population of nearly 400,000 (2011). See more at Wikipedia.org...

Question: What is the name of the lake which remained when the Zuider Zee was closed and reclaimed in 1932?
Answer: Ijsselmeer