Hazedwarsdijk

Just south of Petten lies the metre Hazedwarsdijk, between the Hondsbossche Zeewering and the point where the Hazedijk and the Zijperzeedijk meet. You would not think that the origins of this gently sloping grassy plain date back to the^16th century. At that time, it was an important dike for the village of Petten.

De Zijpe

The construction of the Hazedwarsdijk is closely linked to the diking of the Zijpe. Until the^12th century, the current area of the Zijperpolder was protected by the coastal dunes. Severe storm surges in the second half of the^12th century destroyed a large part of the area. The sea broke through the dunes and the Zijpe sea channel was created. The land behind the dunes was washed away. Zijpe comes from the word Sipe, which means channel.

As early as the^14th century, there was talk of diking Zijpe. However, nothing came of it. It was not until the^16th century that the plans took shape when painter Jan van Scorel (1495-1562) undertook new initiatives to embank the Zijpe. He obtained a patent for this project in 1552. Unfortunately, heavy storms repeatedly destroyed the dikes. In addition, the Zijpepolder was flooded in 1573 in order to repel the Spanish. It took until 1596 before investors came forward again for the diking. That year, the States of Holland and West Friesland granted a patent to Adriaan Anthonisz. from Alkmaar. In 1597, with the help of some 3,000 workers and 1,000 horses, the Zijpe was finally diked with a sand dike. The small Hazepolder, just south of Petten, was reclaimed at the same time. This polder was named after the Antwerp financier Servaes de Haese, a friend of Van Scorel.

Immediately after the dike builders had contracted the first works on February 25, 1597, complaints arose from the residents of Petten. The people of Petten were opposed to the extension of the Zijpse dike southwards to the Schoorlse Zeedijk. This would leave the outer lands of Petten and the Hazepolder outside the dike. This posed a great danger in the event of a storm from the northwest. The seawater would then be pushed through the (small) sea channel north of the village of Petten over the Hazepolder against the Schoorl sea dike.

Raising the Schoorlse Zeedijk, which was in poor condition, was too costly. Petten therefore requested the chief landowners of Zijpe to construct the dike along the same route as before 1570. This ran along the north side of the Hazepolder, where the soil from the old dike (dijkstaal) was still present.

Disagreement arose between the regents of Zijpe and the villages of Petten, Schoorl, and Groet about the costs of constructing the cross dike. The conflict escalated to such an extent that the States of Holland became involved. A commission was set up and concluded that, for safety reasons, a cross dike had to be built at the Hazepolder. On July 9, 1598, the Gecommitteerde Raden (the executive committee of the States in the northern quarter of Holland) decided that Zijpe would pay 4,600 pounds, Schoorl, Petten, and Groet would pay a combined total of 4,400 pounds, and the Hazepolder and the outer lands of Petten would pay 3,000 pounds for the construction of the dike. In addition, the maintenance costs would be divided equally between Zijpe, the three villages, and the Hazepolder. Finally, a board had to be set up to manage the dike, consisting of a dike reeve and five district councilors (Zijpe 2, Petten 1, Groet 1, and Hazepolder 1). In September 1598, construction began on the new cross dike. It was likely to be completed before the onset of winter.

The construction of the Spreeuwendijk in 1698 on the north side of Petten put an end to the danger posed by the water. The Hazedwarsdijk became a secondary flood defense, and the dike required little maintenance thereafter.

Extra

Hiking

• Starting point Petten (North Holland Walking Network)

Cycling

• Tour of Petten / Polder (Route You)
• Beautiful coastal route near Petten aan Zee (route.nl)