Leeghwater monument, Purmer neighborhood

At a busy intersection in the Purmer stands a rather nondescript 1922 monument. It keeps alive the memory of millwright and hydraulic engineer Jan Adriaenszoon Leeghwater (1575-1650), and the then widespread veneration for this "water hero.

In 1922 the Purmer reclamation and water board celebrated its three hundredth anniversary. On August 31 a historical parade on horseback was held across the Purmer, in the wake of the carriage of dike reeve Hendrik Beets (1860-1952). He was the first resident of the Purmer to hold that office since 1904 - until that time, all dike counts came from the towns. Leeghwater was also at the parade, interpreted by an unknown Purmerling.  

Leeghwater lived in De Rijp. He was a carpenter and millwright, but developed into a much sought-after drainage and reclamation expert. He was involved in draining (almost all) of the large North Holland lakes, including the Purmer. In a 1641 book, he also advocated the impoldering of Haarlemmermeer. He was a strong advocate of reclamation. His book would often be reprinted, and Leeghwater became a Dutch water hero. In the process, he was made more important than he was: the leadership of the reclamations lay not with him, but with the various reclamation companies, formed by wealthy merchants and city officials.

Nevertheless, in the 19th and 20th centuries Leeghwater was seen as a great example, the far-sighted spirit behind the reclamations of the Golden Age. Hence the decision in the Purmer to honor him with a monument on the occasion of the three hundredth anniversary. The driving force behind this was the energetic principal Gerardus Johannes de Goede (1884-1943), mayor of Wijdenes and secretary of the celebration committee. Leeghwater received ample attention in the jubilee booklet written by him on the history of the Purmer. The design was made by De Goedes brother-in-law Adriaan Hillebrand Kwantes (1897-1971), an architect in Amsterdam but Purmerling by birth.

The monument was built of red-brown Utrecht "hand-formed stone," on top of an already existing wall from 1772. The base of the monument was hewn from coarse-grained sandstone, as was the bench attached to the monument. It was embellished with decorative ironwork and a bronze plaque with Leeghwater's portrait. On September 1, 1922, it was unveiled by the Deputy Queen's Commissioner of North Holland. Descendants of Leeghwater, some of whom lived in the Purmer, hung wreaths on the monument.

For these Purmerlingen, Leeghwater was not just a hero, but an ancestor from whom they descended. They often played a role within the water board, such as father and son Pieter (1850-1936) and Gerrit Groot (1882-1965), who were superintendents of the Purmer for half a century. Gerrit Groot succeeded his father in 1920 and was thus also involved in the design and placement of the monument to his famous ancestor.

Dike Chairman Beets promised that the water board would take good care of the monument, and it has, although it has not stood the test of time unscathed. The decorative ironwork at the bottom was removed and the plaque was stolen. A new bronze plaque was installed in 1997. By 2022, it has become crowded around the monument with construction and traffic lights. But even now, 400 years after the reclamation, Leeghwater continues to smile at his Purmer progeny. The centennial would surely have filled him with satisfaction.

Additional

• Bicycle and walking routes do not pass directly by the Leeghwater Monument. Nearby comes Part Route 1 of the Laag Holland bicycle routes.
• Leeghwater, of course, is not only honored and remembered in the Purmer. He also makes regular appearances elsewhere in the former North Holland Lake District. That area is called Land of Leeghwater.
• In the Purmer, 2022 marks the quadrennial anniversary of the reclamation.
• The Purmer Memorial Book of Mayor De Goede can be read and downloaded on Delpher.
• Leeghwater's Haerlemmermeerboeck has been reprinted many times. On the Digital Library of Dutch Literature, a reprint from 1973 can be read and downloaded.