Purmer North Pumping Station

In the north of the Purmer lies the oldest pumping station of this reclamation project, hidden among trees and still standing alone among the meadows despite the encroaching urbanization. The building is equipped with the latest pumping technology but exudes history, dating back to the Middle Ages.

Purmer Noord pumping station. Photo: HHNK

The ‘Purmer sea woman’

In the year 1403, the sea dike near Edam broke. Once the hole had been closed again, a 'wild and untamed sea woman' appeared in the Purmermeer, covered in green moss and living on raw fish. The 'green woman' was captured and cleaned by milkmaids from Edam. She also appeared to enjoy Dutch cuisine. People came to Edam from all over Holland to see her. Eventually, she was taken to Haarlem, where she learned to spin and died many years later.

The Mermaid, or the 'Green Woman'. Image of a painting burned in 1792 in: Arnout Vosmaer, 'Beschryving van de zoogenaamde meermin der stad Haarlem' (Description of the so-called mermaid of the city of Haarlem), Verhandelingen der Hollandsche Maatschappye der Weetenschappen 23 (1786), Plate L. Collection: Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, RP-P-OB-78.242

Coat of arms

This Dutch legend was very well known during the 17th and 18th centuries. When the Purmer was drained in 1622, the new water board needed a coat of arms. The famous sea woman, spinning, was chosen as the 'shield image' and two milkmaids as the 'shield bearers'. At some point, a mural was also painted in the pumping station, which can still be seen today. It is unknown when this was done, but given the style and the poem, it is possible that it was created during the celebration of three hundred years of Purmer in 1922.

Mural depicting the Purmer coat of arms, with a rhyming blessing for the "Crown of the drained lakes." Photo: Henk Looijesteijn

From wind to steam

Like all 17th-century polders, the Purmer was kept dry with windmills. This remained the case until well into the 19th century, when steam power became available. After flooding caused by an unusual calm that prevented the windmills from grinding, polder supervisor Willem Francken (1821-1906) proposed building a steam pumping station at the northern end of the Middentochtsloot, which he designed himself. Not all the mills were demolished, and for many years the Purmer was kept dry using steam and wind power. After all, coal was expensive and wind was free.

The steam pumping station as designed by Francken. The house, coal sheds, chimney, and extension have since been demolished. Etching from 1981 by J.C. van Herk. Collection: Noord-Hollands Archief, NL

Edam get-together?

Francken lived in Edam, which had a lot of influence over the Purmer because the water board was based there. Dike reeve Gerardus Johannes Versteegh (1808-1878) was also mayor of Edam. Francken's design was reviewed by Pieter de Leeuw (1811-1895), supervisor of the Uitwaterende Sluizen water board, which was also based in Edam.

Dijkgraaf Versteegh was also mayor and member of the provincial council, and thus a professional administrator. Until 1904, all dike reeves of the Purmer were townspeople. Portrait from 1924 by Johan Gabriëlse (1881-1945). Photo: Edams Museum

Grinder manufacturer

However, the construction of the pumping station was not an Edam affair. Contractor Cornelis Blankevoort (1820-1887) came from Monnickendam. He was an enterprising man who also built a pumping station in Kadoelen and reclaimed the Blijkmeer near Holysloot. The company he founded is now called Van Hattum en Blankevoort and still builds pumping stations. Blankevoort donated the silver trowel with which dike reeve Versteegh laid the first stone on September 1, 1877.

Trowel used to lay the foundation stone of the Purmer steam pumping station. Collection: HHNK

From steam to electricity

In 1907, a new steam engine was installed, rendering wind drainage unnecessary. In 1909, the last windmills in the Purmer were sold. Steam drainage continued until 1972, although after the war the steam drive of one of the two pumps was replaced by a diesel engine. The other pump continued to rely on steam until 1972. By then, the boiler was worn out, and the polder had an electric motor installed.

De Purmer, interior of the steam pumping station around 1900. Collection: Noord-Hollands Archief, NL

Monumental steam engine

When the electric motor was installed, much of the complex was no longer needed and was largely demolished. The main building with its distinctive arched windows remained standing and was renovated in 2012 and equipped with the current, fully electric pumps. The steam engine from 1907 was still in excellent condition. Today, the restored and working steam engine can be viewed in De Rijp, in the old VOPO Pompen premises.

The former steam engine of the Purmer Noord pumping station, now located in De Rijp. The steam engine is put into operation during Open Monument Days. Photo: HHNK

Extra

  • The Purmer Noord pumping station is located next to junction 94 of the Laag Holland cycle routes. There are various routes through the Purmer, including this one. At the pumping station, you can rest on various benches.
  • If you would like to learn more about the legend of the "Purmer sea woman," you can read about it in detail on the Meertens Institute's Story Bank.
  • You can read about the history of Van Hattum en Blankevoort at https://magazine.vhbinfra.nl/.
  • The last steam engine is located in the centre De Rijp, in the old premises of VOPO Pompen.

Purmer North Pumping Station

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