The Nieuwendam near Assendelft

On the border of the municipalities of Uitgeest and Assendelft, a short dike rises in the polder landscape, the Nieuwendam. The municipal boundary runs along what used to be the Kromme IJ and across the dam erected in 1357 that closed off this estuary at the time.  

The Kromme or curving IJ was an offshoot of the IJ that snaked through North Holland as far as Beverwijk. The IJ was an arm of the Zuiderzee. The Kromme IJ emptied into the Lange or Alkmaarder Lake. The villages of Krommenie and Krommeniedijk derive their names from it. It was an important fishing water and also part of the shipping route between Alkmaar and Haarlem. However, as an open connection between the seawater of the IJ and the lakes in the North Quarter, it also posed a danger during storms.

The Nieuwendam inscribed on a reconstruction map of the western IJ area around 1350. Archaeological Map of the Netherlands 1:100,000, sheet North Holland (edited), National Service for Archaeological Research, 1987

Count William V of Holland (1330-1389) therefore gave permission in 1357 to close off the Kromme IJ with a dam between the dikes around Uitgeest and Assendelft. However, a stretch of about five meters had to remain open for shipping and fishing. A lock was allowed to be built there. The dam in the Kromme IJ came to be known as the new dam, or Nieuwendam - not to be confused with the village of Nieuwendam and another, later Nieuwendam near Monnickendam. 

Count William V reigned only briefly due to mental illness but meant a great deal to North Holland through city charter grants and water statutes. Excerpt from: Hendrik van Heessel, Chronique des comtes de Hollande, Collection Erfgoedhuis Hendrik Conscience, Antwerp

The administration, the board of the dam lords or dam masters, consisted of the sheriff of Akersloot as dike reeve and representatives of Akersloot, Uitgeest, Wormer and Graft - later also De Rijp - as heemraden. These villages had an interest in the dam, which primarily offered them protection. Therefore, they were in charge of its maintenance. The board of the dam lords existed until 1971 when it merged into a larger water board. 

The Nieuwendam or Busch and Dam around 1905, when it was still under the administration of the college of dam lords, photographed by Piet de Jong from Krommenie. Collection De Zaansche Molen, inv.nr. 0014409

A settlement arose along the Nieuwendam, where farmers and fishermen lived. Around 1550 there were 10 to 12 houses, possibly with an inn and a chapel. Today there is only one farm left. The hamlet was probably known as Busch en Dam or Bus and Dam, as the area around the dam is still called. The name Busch is derived from the Zaanish word for forest, which was used to refer to a reed landscape that had been overgrown by trees.

The Nieuwendam in the mid-16th century, with the lock fitted with a bulkhead door and the village. North is to the left. Excerpt from a 1604 copy by Jan Potter Jansz of a Map from 1552. Leiden University Library Collection, inv.no. COLLBN Port 29 N 50

In 1544 Emperor Charles V (1500-1558), as Count of Holland, ordered closure of the last open sea gates in the North Quarter to prevent flooding and land loss. In 1546, a lock was built, but as a result, the current dropped and the Kromme IJ silted up at lightning speed. A narrow channel remained, the Kil. The lock was replaced in 1569 by a portage, over which only small ships could be pulled.  

The Nieuwendam in 1580. The north is to the left. The watercourse is greatly narrowed and the lock is gone: 'Hier plach die sluis te leggen'. Excerpt from a Map of the Wijkermeer. Collection Noord-Hollands Archief, arch.no. 100, inv.no. 51993

In the 17th century, locks were placed one more time in the Nieuwendam. The Heerhugowaard and the Wormermeer were drained, making the water storage or storage basin in North Holland much smaller around 1630. To compensate, the basin manager, the Hoogheemraadschap van de Uitwaterende Sluizen, required the polders to construct two sluices. One of them was also a lock for shipping traffic. But silting up remained a problem. After Uitwaterende Sluizen built a culvert lock at Nauerna in 1651 for water drainage, a lock in the Nieuwendam was unnecessary.

Excerpt from a Map of Lake Wijkermeer from 1594, showing the north on the left. It can be clearly seen how in front of and behind the dam the Kromme IJ and the northern part of the Wijkermeer lake are increasingly narrowing. Collection Noord-Hollands Archief, arch.no. 1100, inv.no. 52445

Despite the landslide, flooding was not yet out of the question. During storm surges, water pushed from the Zuiderzee into the IJ could not move and the dikes broke. In the infamous Christmas flood of 1717, which caused great damage in North Holland, the waves made large holes in the IJ dikes, two of which were near Nieuwendam. To prevent a recurrence, it was decided to dike the silted up land in front of Nieuwendam. The new polder was called Binnengedijkte Buitenlanden, Noorder Buitendijken or Honderd Morgen. 

Seawall finished: on the south side of the new polder the New Overdijking or Nieuwendijk is the new seawall, the Nieuwendam has become an inner dike. Collection Hoogheemraadschap Rijnland, inv.nr. A-4896

Because the polder De Noorder Buitendijken was higher than the surrounding land, farmers depended on the remnant of the Kromme IJ, now called the Ham, for fresh water. In 1731, after twelve years of wrangling, a mill was installed to grind up water from the Ham. Krommenie vehemently opposed this because much fresh water was needed for sailcloth weaving. Although the mill was called the Slof, the Krommenieans nicknamed it the Water Thief. The mill was an octagonal outer crosser equipped with a scoop wheel.

Construction drawing of the Water Thief from: Leendert van Natrus, Jacob Polly and Cornelis van Vuuren, Groot volkomen moolenboek (1734). Collection HHNK, object nr. 3720
Photograph of the Water Thief from the early 20th century. Collection Regionaal Archief Alkmaar, arch.no. 1050, inv.no. 11744

By 1900, the board of dam lords only had authority over less than an acre of land on the dam and earned a small amount of money by leasing the grass. The dilapidated mill was replaced in 1926 by an electric pumping station, also gone. Today there is a culvert through the dam. The last dike grave, the mayor of Akersloot, thought the dam could be excavated. It didn't come to that. Moreover, the Water Thief will return to its old spot: since 2021 work has been underway to rebuild the mill.

The Water Thief during demolition. Collection De Zaansche Molen, inv.no. 0034697
On May 18, 2021, the first pile was symbolically driven for the rebuilding of the Water Thief. At the mill yard in the background, construction is underway on the mill. Photo: Henk Looijesteijn

Additional

  • The Nieuwendam is part of the bicycle route Crommenije and Stelling van Amsterdam (Oer-IJ).
  • Another bicycle route that crosses the dam is the Jubilee Cycle Route (Low Holland).
  • There are no hiking trails across the dam, but the Busch and Dam Route (Wandelnetwerk Noord-Holland) passes right by it.
  • The Water Thief is being rebuilt: the mill is scheduled to have returned to its original site by 2026. This video gives an impression of the preparatory activities. For more information on the project, see: https://dewaterdief.nl/.

Nieuwendam

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Nieuwendam

Address

Busch and Dam 7-8, 1911 MS, Uitgeest, NL