Water heritage in the Northeast Polder

  • Suprise from the sea

    The creation of the first polder

    Vissersbootjes_Oostvaardersdijk_ClaireDroppert

This is the story of the water heritage of the Noordoostpolder. It tells the history of water management, with information about the dikes, pumping stations, locks, and the layout of the waterways. The unique character of many of these elements in the Noordoostpolder is often small and less conspicuous but holds great historical significance. For this reason, the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE) selected the Noordoostpolder as a post-war reconstruction area of national importance. This national recognition underscores the unique position of this polder in the history of Dutch polder development.

The new land

on the bottom of the Zuiderzee

After the closure of the Zuiderzee, construction of the Noordoostpolder began in 1937. Three years later, the final gap in the 54-kilometre-long dike was closed. On 9 September 1942, the Noordoostpolder was officially drained.

Water management system

keeps our feed dry

Most of the Noordoostpolder lies below sea level, ranging from 1 metre to nearly 5 metres below NAP (Normaal Amsterdams Peil). To regulate water levels, a network of canals, ditches, waterways, weirs, and pumping stations has been constructed—this is the water management system in the Noordoostpolder. This system is part of the broader history of polders in the Netherlands, a history of land reclamation, organisation, and water management.

Conceived

on the drawing board

The Noordoostpolder was organised according to the 1936 Development Plan: with one central town, Emmeloord, surrounded by ten smaller villages within cycling distance and interconnected by various canals and waterways. This layout was designed because few people owned cars (making it essential for the villages to be within cycling distance of Emmeloord) and because much of the agricultural produce was still transported by ship.

Water management

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  • Dikes

    For the reclamation of the Noordoostpolder, two dikes were constructed: one from Lemmer to Urk and another from Urk to Blokzijl. In 1940, these dikes were connected. Closing the final gap was a tense moment, and two closure gap monuments were erected to commemorate this event. These are the Closure Gap Monument on the Urk–Blokzijl section (Zuidermeerdijk) featuring a poem by Remco Campert, and the Closure Gap Monument on the Lemmer–Urk section (Westemeerdijk) with a poem by Ed Hoornik.

    Dijk Lelystad Emmeloord Natuur Flevoland

  • Pumping stations

    The Noordoostpolder lies up to five metres below NAP (Normaal Amsterdams Peil) and resembles the shape of a bathtub: along the edges near Friesland and Overijssel, the area is 1 metre below NAP, while on the western side, near the IJsselmeer, it reaches depths of up to 5 metres below NAP. To manage the water levels in the Noordoostpolder, three pumping stations were constructed: Buma, Smeenge, and Vissering.

  • Inlets

    Inlets are mainly needed along the edges near Friesland and Overijssel. The polder is shallowest here, and water flows downwards to the lower-lying areas. To ensure that the ditches retain sufficient water, a total of seven inlets have been constructed. The inlets at Repelweg, Blokzijl, and Kuinre are unique as they are built with brickwork. The inlet at Repelweg is particularly striking due to the distribution structures located behind it.

  • Siphon pump and siphon house

    Sometimes, only a small area requires water to be brought in from outside the polder using a siphon pump. This pump is housed in a so-called "siphon house." The siphon house on Kadoelerdijk is the only one remaining in the Noordoostpolder, a traditional structure built from brick. The siphon draws water from the Vollenhover Canal into an area that "loses" water due to the permeable sandy soil and drainage towards the lower part of the polder.

  • Weirs

    Weirs are essential for maintaining the water level in the ditches and canals. When the polder was initially laid out, most weirs were constructed from wood, sometimes with a movable flap. Starting in the 1980s, many wooden weirs were replaced with metal or concrete versions.

  • Wier pits

    Weir pits control the amount of water to be discharged. Due to the significant difference in water levels, the weir pits are sometimes located several dozen metres apart. Originally, there were around 1,500 concrete weir pits in the Noordoostpolder. A few of these remain in their original state, such as those near the Waterloopbos.

  • Culverts

    Culverts channel water from a canal or ditch beneath a road. Of the many concrete culverts constructed at the time, some still remain in their original condition. In the Redetocht, under the Schokkerringweg, there is a unique road culvert from 1950. This brick culvert features a double round arch with sloping wing walls extending from it. Behind the two arched openings are brick vaults with a semicircular cross-section. A similar brick road culvert with a rounded arch can also be found in the Zwijnstocht near the Zuiderringweg in Ens. Additionally, there is an original brick culvert in the Schotertocht that is now used as a wildlife passage, clearly visible from the road.

Waterways

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  • Canals

    Like every polder, the Noordoostpolder has a network of canals for managing water levels and facilitating navigation. Construction of these waterways began even before the dikes were completed. The channels were dredged, and the excavated soil was partly used for the planned villages. This helped prevent the still relatively soft banks from collapsing.

  • Bank protection

    From around 1943, all waterways were equipped with wooden bank protection, often in the form of small timber pilings known as perkoenpaaltjes. These perkoenpaaltjes can still be seen along a section of the Lemstervaart. In the 1960s, most of these pilings across the polder were replaced with concrete sheet piling. In the early years of the polder, the waterways were crucial as transport routes for materials used in constructing villages and farms. Later, they were primarily used for transporting agricultural products such as grain and sugar beets. The dimensions of the waterways and locks were designed to accommodate the Spits, a commonly used type of vessel in the 1930s and 1940s.

  • Main canals

    There are three main canals in the Noordoostpolder, each running from one of the locks to Emmeloord, the centre of the polder:

    • The Lemstervaart is 16 kilometres long, starting in Emmeloord, passing through Bant and along the Kuinderbos, and ending at the Friesesluis near Lemmer.
    • The Zwolse Vaart is 15 kilometres long, running from Emmeloord through Marknesse, through the Voorsterbos, to the Voorstersluis.
    • The Urkervaart is 13 kilometres long, extending from Emmeloord through Tollebeek to the Urkersluis in Urk.

  • Side canals

    Side canals connect the ten villages in the Noordoostpolder with the main canals. Almost all villages are located at the end of a side canal and have a loading dock. Only in Tollebeek is there a turning basin located directly in the main canal, the Urkervaart. Turning basins were constructed in the side canals to allow cargo ships to turn around.

  • Turning basins

    The Noordoostpolder has 17 turning basins, which allow ships to turn around. The side canals, along with the turning basins and loading docks, were primarily used until the mid-1960s for the transport of bulk products such as fertilisers, grain, and sugar beets. Most of the turning basins have since disappeared, as they lost their function over the years due to the shift in agricultural transport to road haulage.

  • Loading docks

    Loading docks were initially constructed for the delivery of building materials. Later, they were primarily used by farmers to unload their produce directly into moored ships. There are over 30 loading docks in total: each village has one that is 100 metres long. The remaining docks are shorter (30 or 60 metres) and are scattered throughout the polder. This distribution was necessary to ensure that each farmer could transport their agricultural products to a loading dock within a maximum distance of 4 kilometres. Today, the loading docks are used as jetties for recreational purposes or as storage areas for maintenance materials.

  • Beet bridges, transfer cranes, and weighbridges

    Agricultural cooperatives were responsible for transporting products such as sugar beets and grain at the time. Cargo ships would wait at the loading docks, ready to collect the harvest. The cooperatives provided a weighbridge and a transfer crane or beet bridge close to the loading dock. The transfer cranes would hoist nets filled with beets from the farmers' carts into the ships. Four beet bridges remain in the Noordoostpolder: in Marknesse, Emmeloord, Kraggenburg, and near Ramspol. No transfer cranes have been preserved. The beet bridge in Kraggenburg is likely to get a new lease of life, as there are initiatives in the village to refurbish the jetty along with the surrounding area, including the loading dock, and transform it into a village boulevard.

    Most weighbridges have since disappeared. Occasionally, the former site of a weighbridge can still be identified, although it often became part of a park or paved area. However, weighbridges still exist in Emmeloord, Luttelgeest, and Kraggenburg, with the one in Kraggenburg still in use. In Emmeloord, two of the original weighbridges can still be found on Nagelerweg and Industrieweg (on the Agrifirm premises).

Pumping stations

  • Buma pumping station

    The Buma pumping station was commissioned on 7 January 1941. On 9 September 1942, the Noordoostpolder was officially drained. The pumping stations removed approximately 1,500 million m³ of water from the polder, with around 1,000 million m³ extracted by Buma alone.

  • Smeenge pumping station

    The Smeenge pumping station was commissioned on 22 April 1941. On 9 September 1942, the Noordoostpolder was officially drained. Approximately 1,500 million m³ of water was removed from the polder, with around 375 million m³ pumped out by Smeenge.

  • Visssering pumping station

    This pumping station was built in 1941 as one of the three main pumping stations of the Noordoostpolder. Recently, the central chimney of the three was reconstructed in brick.

Locks

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  • In the dikes of the Noordoostpolder, there is a lock next to each of the three pumping stations to allow vessels to enter and exit the polder. These are the Friesesluis (next to the Buma pumping station), the Voorstersluis (next to the Smeenge pumping station), and the Urkersluis (next to the Vissering pumping station). These locks enable vessels to navigate a height difference of between 5 and 6 metres! Two additional locks are the Marknessersluis and the Kadoelerkeersluis. All lock complexes consist of a combination of a chamber lock and a movable bridge.

  • Friesian Lock

    The chamber lock next to the Buma pumping station complex near Lemmer, between the IJsselmeer and the Lemstervaart, was constructed between 1939 and 1941 by the Zuiderzee Works Department. On the IJsselmeer side of the lock, there is an operator's building for the lock keeper and a storage shed for stop logs. There is also an iron structure with a steel emergency gate, which replaced the stop logs in the 1970s. The Friesian Lock is a designated national monument.

  • Voorster Lock

    The Voorster Lock is located near Kraggenburg, between the Kadoelermeer and the Zwolse Vaart. This lock, along with the Smeenge pumping station and the lock keeper's house, holds monument status. Its construction marks the beginning of the Noordoostpolder, and it is one of the oldest remaining structures in the polder. The Voorster Lock is a designated national monument.

  • Urker Lock

    The Urker Lock was commissioned after the Noordoostpolder was drained and the Urkervaart was completed in 1942. This chamber lock bridges a water level difference of 5.75 metres between the polder and the IJsselmeer. The Urker Lock is a designated national monument.

  • Marknesser Lock

    The Marknesser Lock was built in 1947 to bridge the water level difference between the eastern and western parts of the polder. The chamber lock and its accompanying bridge over the Zwolse Vaart feature an original brick-built control house. This building holds significant cultural and historical value, though it is not a designated national monument.

  • Kadoeler Flood Gate

    A unique lock is the Kadoeler Flood Gate, which does not have a lock chamber to bridge a water level difference. Only during exceptionally high water levels and storms are the gates closed to prevent flooding in areas such as Vollenhove and Blokzijl (Overijssel). The movable bridge of the Kadoeler Flood Gate connects the Northeast Polder with the province of Overijssel.

  • Movable bridges

    At the intersections of roads and the main canals, standalone movable bridges were constructed in the original design of the polder, including three in Emmeloord. The Tollebekerbrug over the Urkervaart, built in 1956, is the only remaining standalone movable bridge. Its control house was demolished after being struck by a tractor.

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