Burghorn
On Jan. 11, 2018, Mayor Marjan van Kampen of the Municipality of Schagen (pictured right) unveiled an information sign at this old dike post, called the Schagerpaal. That sign was an initiative of regional historian Karel Numan (left). The Schagerpaal forms via via a reminder of the first major land reclamation in North Holland, more than 550 years ago.
At the beginning of the 13th century, the landscape at this spot looked completely different (red dot on the Map). At that time, the settlements of Valkkoog and Sint Maarten still bordered a large area of mud flats and salt marshes, the Zijpe. This was in wide open connection with the Zuiderzee. During storms in the year 1248, the dikes broke here. Much of the land was washed away. To close the large hole in the Omringdijk, a new dike was built a bit inland (red line). This was named Schager- or Vriezendam and is today called Valkkogerdijk.
The Schagerdam came about on the initiative of Egmond Abbey. This monastery actually owned a lot of land in the vicinity of Schagen. Abbot Lubbertus issued a charter in 1250 regulating the work. This is the first time a part of the Omringdijk is mentioned in ancient writings.
The construction of the Schagerdam (blue arrow on the Map) created a large inlet. Over the centuries, the sea deposited a lot of sand and silt there. In 1456 William the Bastard, the first lord of Schagen, obtained permission to reclaim this highly silted area. He did this by building a dam. This created the 300-hectare Burghorn polder, the first major land reclamation in our region. Over 500 years later, William the Bastard's closing dike is still called the New Dike. We are now standing on top of it (red dot).
The question remained as to who should maintain the New Dike: only the local water board the Schager and Niedorper Koggen or also the water board the Geestmerambacht to the south. It ended in litigation. In 1469 the Court of Holland ruled that the Geestmerambacht had to maintain one third (= 1,333 meters) of the dike and the Schager and Niedorper Koggen two thirds (= 2,666 meters). On the border a post was placed, the Schagerpaal (arrow on the Map). The present post dates from 1871 and is made of blue-gray Belgian limestone or bluestone.