Kolhorn

Until 1844, Kolhorn was located by the sea. It was a true fishing village with fishermen's houses (photo) and a small harbor on the Omringdijk. People did not only live off fishing, but also went to the mudflats near Wieringen to harvest seaweed. Until three hundred years ago, the Omringdijk was protected from the salt water on the sea side by a wall of seaweed. Kolhorn benefited from this.

Like Hoorn and Enkhuizen, Kolhorn benefited from the prosperity of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in the seventeenth century. The port of Amsterdam was difficult for fully loaded merchant ships to reach because of Pampus, a muddy shoal just outside the city. Another obstacle was the stubborn sandbanks near Texel. The company had a great need for small ships that could take over part of the cargo. 

The Kolhorners knew exactly what to do. They sailed to Texel on small ships, known as lighters, to take delivery of the spices (illustration). They then sailed to their final destination, the port of Amsterdam. The system also worked in reverse: the provisions for a ship bound for the East Indies were first shipped to Kolhorn and from there to Texel. 

Kolhorn not only supplied West Friesland with fish and seaweed, but also with peat. This fuel from Groningen and Drenthe was stored in peat sheds. These sheds are still standing on the dike.

Between 1844 and 1847, the Waard and Groet polders were established north and south of Kolhorn. As a result, the village was no longer located by the sea, but remained connected to it via a drainage channel between the polders (arrow in the photo). The Waard and Groet were not immediately the agricultural paradise that the land reclamation engineers had hoped for. The soil was too salty. One plant that did thrive there was madder. 

The value of madder lies in its roots. After harvesting, these were dried and stewed in an oven. This took place in towers located in the polder. The roots were then ground into powder in a factory. Such a factory had been operating in Kolhorn since 1862. The dark red powder was used as a dye in the textile industry. This industry did not last long, because around 1870 it became possible to obtain the sought-after dye chemically. The people in the photo are harvesting madder. 

Around 1890, anchovies, a species of fish found in the Wieringermeer, became popular. The fishermen of Kolhorn seized their opportunity. The catch was cleaned and salted in the village. However, anchovy fishing did not last long either, because in 1930 the Wieringermeer dried up. The Zuiderzee and the fishing life were now a thing of the past.