The Afsluitdyk
Despite the deprivations caused by the First World War, the Dutch recovered well, and continued to expand directly afterwards. By the second decade of the 20th Century the Dutch had become masters at containing the sea. Huge areas of land had even been reclaimed from the sea, leading to almost a third of the country actually being below sea level, cut off behind massive dikes for which the
country has, like windmills, become famous.
Much of the land that lies below sea level is still kept dry by continuous mechanical pumping. The largest of these projects was the stunning Afsluitdyk - or "Closing Off Dike" which was finished in 1932. Cutting off a huge stretch of the North Sea, the Afsluitdyk created an inland fresh water sea known as the Issjelmeer, large parts of which were then reclaimed, an ongoing process which has lasted more than 60 years.
Nowhere better is the White Dutch technological genius better illustrated than with the technological wonder of the Aflsuitdijk - or 'closing off dike'. The incredible 32,5 kilometer long dike built straight across the North Sea in just five years from 1927 to 1932, closed off an entire section of that sea and allowed massive land reclamation. Alongside, a map of the Netherlands showing the position of the Afsluitdijk (thick line).
Nowhere better is the White Dutch technological genius better illustrated than with the technological wonder of the Aflsuitdijk - or 'closing off dike'. The incredible 32,5 kilometer long dike built straight across the North Sea in just five years from 1927 to 1932, closed off an entire section of that sea and allowed massive land reclamation. Alongside, a map of the Netherlands showing the position of the Afsluitdijk (thick line).
In many ways the Afsluitdyk represents one of the greatest technological achievements of the tiny Dutch nation. It is a stunning engineering feat which has not been duplicated anywhere in the world, even by much larger powers.
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