Large Lock Oudesluis

Once upon a time, storms caused the Zuiderzee to pound against the lock gates, but since the mid-19th century, the former sea lock of the Zijperpolder has seen considerably calmer times. Nowadays, you can drive right over it, but the 'Hoge Sluis' (High Lock) once made a much greater impression.

You wouldn't know it now, but in the 17th and 18th centuries, Oudesluis was a hive of activity. This is where the Zijperpolder drained into the Zuiderzee, and all shipping traffic from the sea to Alkmaar had to pass through what was then called the Grote Sluis van de Zijpe (Great Lock of Zijpe). The residents of the village called it the 'Hoge Sluis' (High Lock) because of its height. The lock was of great importance for the drainage of the Schermerboezem, the large North Holland water storage area.

Of all the major embankments in North Holland, the one at Zijpe was one of the most difficult. It proved challenging to close off this storm-prone sea inlet. Once this had been achieved, the Eighty Years' War broke out and the polder was flooded again. This allowed the Spanish army to be kept at bay from West Friesland. It was not until 1596-1597 that the Zijpe was permanently diked. The new sea lock was built on the same site where it had been constructed in 1564.

Little is known about that first wooden lock. It mainly drained the polder but also served shipping traffic. By 1629, the lock was in need of complete renovation, and in 1630 it was decided to build a larger and deeper stone sea lock, made of Bentheimer sandstone. The prominent Amsterdam mayor Jacob Dircksz de Graeff (1571-1638), lord of Zuid-Polsbroek and chief landowner of Zijpe, played an important role in this.

The lock was built by Willem Jansz Benning (c. 1569-1636), a former lock keeper from Edam who had started designing and building locks himself. He initially built locks mainly abroad. The Grote Sluis van de Zijpe was his first major project in Holland. In 1631, Jacob de Graeff came to Oudesluis to lay the first stone: the work was completed in January 1632. A beautiful memorial stone in the lock chamber commemorates the role of Mayor De Graeff and master builder Benning.

In 1711, the lock was repaired and in 1764-1765 it was completely renovated. The Zijpe council then had two commemorative stones installed bearing these dates and the swan from the Zijpe coat of arms. A larger stone was also installed, bearing the names of the builders. This time, they were not noblemen, but the three carpenters, the two bricklayers, and the stonemason.

The Grote Sluis played an important role in shipping in Alkmaar. All skippers had to pay a lockage fee to the lock keeper. He also had the right to fish on the inside of the lock. In 1828, the then lock keeper was deprived of that right because he had opened the lock during the eel migration and angry farmers complained to the polder board about the salt water in their ditches.

Due to the reclamation of the Anna Paulowna polder in 1845-1847, the lock was no longer located at the sea. Because both polders had the same water level, there was no longer any need for lockage and the lock was only closed in the event of unusually high water levels. A major change was the demolition of the old lock keeper's house, which was also a farm and contained a meeting room for the polder board.

The old house was replaced by a smaller one. There is still a cornerstone with the inscription June 18, 1914. Two years later, new lock gates had to be installed. In the drained lock chamber, two village boys found a gold ten-guilder coin from 1824. This was a gold coin worth 10 guilders. They took it to the contractor, who gave the honest finders their share and divided the rest of the amount among his employees.

As shipping traffic declined and car traffic increased, the road was widened and the lock lowered in the 1950s. , the lock keeper's house still has many original details, such as the tariff board from 1850 and a windscreen for the outside door that can be opened in two ways, preventing the wind from blowing in when the lock keeper has to go outside.

Extra

Anyone walking the Julianadorp-Wieringerwaard section of the Noordhollandpad will cross the Grote Sluis.

The cycling route De mooie Kop van Noord-Holland(The Beautiful North Holland) also passes over the Grote Sluis.