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Last Updated: 03. Mai 2000
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The Netherlands
The Windmills
Kinderdijks
Pieter, the Boy Who Saved Holland
The Afsluitdijk
Kinderdijks
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We traveled to Holland to see the windmills working because the Dutch set up the sails on the "arms" of the windmills during August. It's neat to see them working. We even walked through a windmill and climbed all the steep stairs to see the gearing and even to see the "arms" being moved by the wind. The tour included sample rooms that show how a water miller lives with his family. We saw the "cupboard" beds - they look very cozy but these people must be very short in order to fit into the beds.
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Pieter, the Boy Who Saved Holland
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One of Erika's favorite stories is the story, "The Boy Who Saved Holland" from the collections of stories by Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates by Mary Maples Dodge. This is the story about Pieter who saved Haarlem by sticking his finger in a leaky dike. In the story he had to stay awake all night. The little hero, Pieter, symbolizes Holland's never-ending fight against the encroaching sea. The statue of Pieter is located in the small town of Spaarndam, near to the town of Haarlem. We were surprized to find such a small sculpture! It was located near the water on a very narrow bridge where only one car was capable of passing. We parked nearby and walked along the street to find the statue.
After finding the statue, we drove through the countryside and had great views of the polders. We drove along a narrow dike road that was surrounded by polders with grazing sheep. The polders are the drained fields that are separated by small canals. It is a lovely view of the Netherlands and their battle against the sea.
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The Afsluitdijk
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Before driving along the Afsluitdijk, we drove to Den Helder to see the angry North Sea that Pieter talks about in the story, "The Boy Who Saved Holland". The Afsluitdijk or "Barrier Dike" is 30 kilometers long (or 18.5 miles) and 90 meters across (or 100 yards). On the A7, an excellent motorway, it is possible to drive over the Afsluitdijk. Approximately 6.5km (or 4 miles), there is a monument marking the point where the dike was finally closed on May 28, 1932. There is a car park, an outlook tower with a small restaurant and a footbridge over the motorway. From the viewing platform, there is a far-ranging prospect over the sea.
The Afsluitdijk links the provinces of North Holland and Friesland and it converted the Zuiderzee into an inland lake, now known as IJsselmeer. The Zuiderzee was an inland lake until Roman times, but during the early Middle Ages the level of the North Sea rose and gigantic storm tides broke through the land and made the Zuidersee an inlet of the sea. It was not until 19th century that the technological resources for carrying through such a project became available. After severe food shortages in the Netherlands during the First World War, the government approved a plan to reclaim the land for agriculture and to prevent further penetration by the sea.
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Die Fotogalerie von die Niederlande
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