As most people know, a large part of Holland is completely below sea level. In fact: where I sleep is still around a meter under sea level, even though I am on the second floor. The lowest point of Holland is around 7meters below. To maintain a country that is constantly at risk of flooding is not an easy task. Huge engineering projects have been created to keep the sea out of Holland. Constant pumping of water is required to keep the land dry and the people safe. The landscape is crisscrossed as far as the eye can see with Dykes and Canals.
I had the chance to see some of the major storm doors that are placed along the Dutch coast line. The first I saw was the Oosterscheldekering, a part of the Delta Works that protect Zealand from flooding. The doors are a huge series of gates that can be opened and closed during storm surges to protect the coastline.
The next storm barrier I saw was probably the most interesting piece of engineering I’ve seen in Holland. The Maeslantkering is one of the largest moving structures in the world and automatically closes when needed. The huge white doors are rolled out into the centre of the waterway, pivoting on massive ball joints and are sunk onto concrete footings. Photos don’t really do justice to how big this thing is.
Walking around the Netherlands you are constantly reminded of Holland’s war with the sea. It is a country living on borrowed time. One day, inevitably, the sea will reclaim the land, but not before the Dutch try every possible method to stave off its advance.
By: simv
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I don’t suppose they tell the story about the boy with his finger in the dyke any more….. COULD be construed as politically incorrect?
April 25th, 2009 at 11:10 amThe pier for the sliding doors that was left for ‘show’ reallt shows the magnitude of the Delta Works.
I would suggest to other readers of this blog to goto the sites for the
April 25th, 2009 at 11:18 amOosterscheldekering and the Maeslantkering ; they make interesting reading