Artificial Land

The first polders were created in the 14th century by surrounding areas of land with water divides, making it possible to artificially regulate water levels. Later on, land was reclaimed by drainage, a technique used in areas such as the Zijpe (1597), Beemster (1612) and Purmer Polder (1622). In the 19th century the Dutch devised a plan to transform the entire Zuiderzee and even part of the Wadden Sea into a polder landscape. That project was never carried out, but 1932 did see the completion of the Afsluitdijk. This 30-kilometre dike brought an end to tides in the Zuiderzee, which was renamed the IJsselmeer. The Afsluitdijk made it possible to build the Noordoostpolder and Flevoland regions. No less than half of all the areas of polder land in Europe are to be found in the Netherlands.