Water heritage highlighted

Restored in 2024, the Uitwateringssluis in the Wadden Sea dike near the Het Noorden mill was important to as many as three polders.

In the open meadow polder area between Opmeer and Obdam, the 15-meter-high chimney of the former auxiliary steam pumping station of the Kaagpolder stands out.

Pumping station J.C. de Leeuw was the first permanent steam pumping station of the Noorderkwartier. It pumped the Anna Paulowna polder.

The Wijdenes Spaans pumping station on the Van Ewijcksvaart is a national monument but also still the main pumping station within the Anna Paulownapolder.

Boezem pumping station de Waakzaamheid in Lutjewinkel, south of Kolhorn, keeps the United Raakmaats and Niedorperkoggeboezem level.

Count William V of Holland (1330-1389) gave permission in 1357 to close off the Kromme IJ with a dam between the dikes around Uitgeest and Assendelft.

Pumping Station Zeevang and the adjacent old machinist's house were built in the late 19th century by order of the Zeevang polder administration.

The monumental Westfriese Omringdijk is eight hundred years old, 126 kilometers long and has been our support and refuge from the raging waters for centuries.

The history of the Hazedwarsdijk goes back to the 16th century. It was then an important dike for the village of Petten.

You wouldn't know it, but the Starling Dike was once an important seawall. The dike had to withstand the violence of the North Sea.

The striking Harger mill south of Petten was hit by fire twice, but restored neatly both times.

Hotze de Roos named the polder mill in his famous Chameleon series after the North Holland Woudaap, near his hometown of Krommenie.

This lock in the Krommenieër-Woudpolder was used so often by the farmers of Markenbinnen that it was nicknamed Boerensluis.

The Zanddijk, between Egmond-Binnen and Limmen, is one of the oldest dikes in North Holland. The dike was already constructed before 1100.

The brand-new Monnickendam pumping station has a centuries-old history. With this pumping station, an old plan from 1896 was finally completed.

This bluestone boundary post was probably placed around 1800 and marks the boundary between the Hondsbossche and Pettemer Zeewering.

In 1999, the unique polder landscape of the Beemster gained international recognition by being placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Pumping Station Soeteboom on the Hogendijk in Zaandam was built on top of the old Horners Lock in the Noorder IJ- en Zeedijk.

The Great Mill and Schellinkhout Pumping Station beautifully illustrate the development of pumping technology from wind to motor pumping.

The culvert lock looks peaceful today but until the 20th century, Schagen and Burghorn regularly quarreled over drainage.

The bulkhead shed in De Haukes houses the bulkhead beams for the coupure or ford in the Westerlanderdijk.

This lonely cottage is a reminder of the Zuiderzee Works, which made the island of Wieringen part of mainland North Holland.

The Jacob Claesse Lock is a reminder of the centuries-long struggle between the Zijpe Polder and the Water Board of the Uitwaterende Sluizen.

This former 1877 steam pumping station pumped water from the Beetskoog polder to the Schermerboezem until 1954. Now it is a museum pumping station.

The dike post marks the boundary between the Assendelver Zeedijk and the Sint Aagtendijk. The many bends in the dike are reminders of old dike breaches.

Pumping station Lely may stand out more, but pumping station Leemans is the most important pumping station in the Wieringermeer.

This large inundation sluice in the southern ring dike is part of the Stelling van Amsterdam, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Oosterpolder pumping station stands at the intersection of the Holenweg and the Schellinkhouterdijk in Hoorn. It discharges excess water into the Markermeer. 

The 18th-century piece of stone slope at the bottom of the Westzaner Zeedijk near Nauerna is a reminder of the devastating pile worm.

Once, during storms, the Zuiderzee pounded against the floodgates of the "High Lock," the former sea lock of the Zijperpolder.

For centuries, the Nauernasche or Schermersluis played a crucial role in the drainage and shipping of North Holland.

Polder mill 't Leven suffered such severe damage in 1904 that the polder board decided to replace the mill with "a water machine with an engine.

Windmotor de Hercules, with its size and shape, is a striking feature in the open landscape of the Kalverpolder in Zaandam.

Meldijk pumping station, together with the lock and swing bridge, forms a beautiful and well-preserved complex in the middle of the built-up area of Uitgeest.

The monumental Dam Lock has a prominent place in the heart of Edam. The lock was thoroughly renovated in 2021/2022.

The Hornsluis was one of the water works needed when the Beemster Lake was drained in the years 1608-1612.

The monumental 1827 Sassluis will have two new sets of wooden lock gates by 2022.

In the village of Schardam, two old locks, the Noorder and Zuidersluis, are located in the former Zeedijk.

The Sea Lock is not only widely used by pleasure boats, but is also an important link in hiking trails.

This gauge pole stands between the dike and the old lockkeeper's house and displays an important inscription from the 18th century.

A 1922 monument reminds us of millwright and hydraulic engineer Jan Adriaenszoon Leeghwater.

The Purmer's oldest pumping station is equipped with state-of-the-art grinding technology but breathes history.

The Noorderpolder House, north of Schermerhorn, is a National Monument with a long and interesting history.

Pumping Station Wilhelmina in Schermer has been a museum since 1995 and open every Sunday during the summer months.

Anyone who wants to see how Dutchmen kept their feet dry for centuries should take a look at the Dog in Uitgeest.

The Viaan has been draining the Bergermeer for more than four centuries, but before that it kept the Zijpe dry.

The Kathammer or Katwoudermolen, south of Volendam, is an 1896 National Monument.

The old 1869 De Vier Noorder Koggen steam pumping station is now in use as the Dutch Steam Engine Museum.