West Frisian Enclosing Dike

The Schagerpaal is a reminder of the first major land reclamation in North Holland, more than 550 years ago.

In the Middle Ages, the dike often broke during storm surges. This sometimes created meters-deep scour holes (wheels), such as the Keinsmerwiel.

At Kolhorn, excess water from the former Schagerkogge water board was discharged via a lock.

Kolhorn was located by the sea until 1844. It was a real fishing village with fishermen's houses and a small harbor on the Omringdijk.

Between 1654 and 1911, there were five water mills here. These mills drained excess water from the reservoir to the higher upper basin.

This lock, built in 1883, served to drain the Raaksmaatsboezem. This consisted of a number of lakes, including the Heerhugowaard.

In 2008, the old Kolk van Dussen polder was converted into a water storage facility. It has a capacity of 60,000 cubic metre.

Two pumping stations were built to drain the Wieringermeer: the Lely pumping station near Medemblik and the Leemans pumping station near Den Oever.

To keep West Friesland under control, Floris V had five castles built. Radboud Castle is the only one that has been preserved.

Between 1869 and 1977, the Vier Noorder Koggen pumping station near Medemblik kept the polders of the water board of the same name dry.

This statue commemorates the efforts of many generations of dike workers who built and maintained the dike with shovels and wheelbarrows.

Prior to the reclamation of the Wieringermeerpolder, the Proefpolder was constructed near Andijk in 1926-1927.

The Wierdijk was constructed in 1567. At the time, this distinctive sea wall was the only obstacle to the turbulent Zuiderzee.

The Het Grootslag polder stretches from Andijk in the north to Broekerhaven in the south. Until the last century, it was a water-rich area.

Between Hoorn and Enkhuizen, the Omringdijk is called the Zuiderdijk. Over the centuries, it has been moved inland several times.

Of the thirteen polder mills along the Zuiderdijk, only one remains: the Grote Molen (Great Mill) of the old Schellinkhout polder.

Dike warehouses contained materials and tools to prevent a dike breach or to close a hole, such as wheelbarrows, shovels, and sandbags.

In 1675, the water wolf struck mercilessly here. Even today, the scars of the dike breach are still clearly visible.

Thanks to the arrival of the C. Mantel pumping station, HHNK is no longer dependent on locks for drainage on the Markermeer.

This boundary marker between Avenhorn and Ursem marks the old border of the jurisdiction of the city of Hoorn.

The windmills along the Noordschermerdijk were built at the time to drain the Heerhugowaard.

The Huigendijk runs from Alkmaar to Rustenburg. Four hundred years ago, it lay between two lakes: the Heerhugowaard and the Schermeer.

There used to be a lock at the site of the Zeswielenbrug. It was removed in the 1930s.

The Rekere ran from the Schermeer to the Zijpe, which was then still an elongated stream channel. Around 1200, a dam was built in the Rekere.

Nuwendoorn Castle was a fortified castle built by Floris V to keep the West Frisians under control. It was destroyed after his death.