Wieringermeer
Encyclopedia
Wieringermeer is a municipality
and a polder
in the Netherlands
, in the province of North Holland
.
, Middenmeer
, Slootdorp
, Wieringerwerf
.
The Wieringmeerpolder is a polder
, newly created land. The creation of this polder started in 1927. Originally the polder would have been created after the completion of the Afsluitdijk
, but there was a severe lack of agricultural ground. This meant that the dikes for the polder had to be built in the Zuiderzee, a sea, instead of in the milder lake IJsselmeer
that the Zuiderzee would become after the completion of the Afsluitdijk. Therefore the dikes had to be tougher and ready to withstand the sea. Draining of the polder was finished on 21 August 1930.
The new land became usable in 1934. Four villages (Slootdorp (1931), Middenmeer (1933), Wieringerwerf (1936) and Kreileroord (1957)) eventually grew up in the polder.
Since 1 July 1941, the Wieringermeer has been an independent municipality. During the Second World War
, The Netherlands
were occupied by Nazi Germany
and, on 17 April 1945, a vengeful German command ordered the dike of the Wieringermeer to be blown up: the Wieringmeer was inundated
. No one was killed as the polder slowly submerged again (the inhabitants had been warned), but the high water and a subsequent storm destroyed most of the infrastructure built in the previous decade. The floodwater was fresh water
, so the land did not have to be desalinate
d again. Reconstruction followed quickly; by the end of 1945, the polder was declared drained again and the rebuilding of roads and bridges, houses and farms, was greatly facilitated by the experience of building them the first time.
Its name means "Wieringen
Lake", the name of an inland lake that occupied the area in the early mediaeval
period.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
and a polder
Polder
A polder is a low-lying tract of land enclosed by embankments known as dikes, that forms an artificial hydrological entity, meaning it has no connection with outside water other than through manually-operated devices...
in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, in the province of North Holland
North Holland
North Holland |West Frisian]]: Noard-Holland) is a province situated on the North Sea in the northwest part of the Netherlands. The provincial capital is Haarlem and its largest city is Amsterdam.-Geography:...
.
Population centres
The municipality of Wieringermeer consists of the following cities, towns, villages and/or districts: KreileroordKreileroord
Kreileroord is a town in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Wieringermeer, and lies about 21 km north of Hoorn....
, Middenmeer
Middenmeer
Middenmeer is a town in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is part of the municipality of Wieringermeer, and lies about 18 km north of Hoorn....
, Slootdorp
Slootdorp
Slootdorp is a village in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Wieringermeer, and lies about 19 km southeast of Den Helder....
, Wieringerwerf
Wieringerwerf
Wieringerwerf is a town in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Wieringermeer, and lies about 21 km southeast of Den Helder. With about 6000 inhabitants, Wieringerwerf is the largest town of the municipality. It is situated in a polder. The altitude of the...
.
History
Around the year 1000 AD, this area was land. However, several storms after 1100 flooded the land, turning it into a flood plain.The Wieringmeerpolder is a polder
Polder
A polder is a low-lying tract of land enclosed by embankments known as dikes, that forms an artificial hydrological entity, meaning it has no connection with outside water other than through manually-operated devices...
, newly created land. The creation of this polder started in 1927. Originally the polder would have been created after the completion of the Afsluitdijk
Afsluitdijk
The Afsluitdijk is a major causeway in the Netherlands, constructed between 1927 and 1933 and running from Den Oever on Wieringen in North Holland province, to the village of Zurich in Friesland province, over a length of and a width of 90 m, at an initial height of 7.25 m above sea-level.It is...
, but there was a severe lack of agricultural ground. This meant that the dikes for the polder had to be built in the Zuiderzee, a sea, instead of in the milder lake IJsselmeer
IJsselmeer
IJsselmeer is a shallow artificial lake of 1100 km² in the central Netherlands bordering the provinces of Flevoland, North Holland and Friesland, with an average depth of 5 to 6 m. The IJsselmeer is the largest lake in Western Europe....
that the Zuiderzee would become after the completion of the Afsluitdijk. Therefore the dikes had to be tougher and ready to withstand the sea. Draining of the polder was finished on 21 August 1930.
The new land became usable in 1934. Four villages (Slootdorp (1931), Middenmeer (1933), Wieringerwerf (1936) and Kreileroord (1957)) eventually grew up in the polder.
Since 1 July 1941, the Wieringermeer has been an independent municipality. During the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, The Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
were occupied by Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
and, on 17 April 1945, a vengeful German command ordered the dike of the Wieringermeer to be blown up: the Wieringmeer was inundated
Inundation of the Wieringermeer
On April 17, 1945, the German occupying forces inundated the polder Wieringermeer, the Netherlands.-Preparations:In the end of February or the beginning of March 1945 Dutch workers started to undermine the dike around the polder under German command...
. No one was killed as the polder slowly submerged again (the inhabitants had been warned), but the high water and a subsequent storm destroyed most of the infrastructure built in the previous decade. The floodwater was fresh water
Fresh Water
Fresh Water is the debut album by Australian rock and blues singer Alison McCallum, released in 1972. Rare for an Australian artist at the time, it came in a gatefold sleeve...
, so the land did not have to be desalinate
Desalination
Desalination, desalinization, or desalinisation refers to any of several processes that remove some amount of salt and other minerals from saline water...
d again. Reconstruction followed quickly; by the end of 1945, the polder was declared drained again and the rebuilding of roads and bridges, houses and farms, was greatly facilitated by the experience of building them the first time.
Its name means "Wieringen
Wieringen
Wieringen is a municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It consists of a former island, also named Wieringen, and there are plans to make Wieringen an island again by widening the Amsteldiepkanaal into a lake called the Wieringerrandmeer.-Population centres :The...
Lake", the name of an inland lake that occupied the area in the early mediaeval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
period.
Local government
The municipal council of Wieringermeer consists of 15 seats, which are divided as follows:- CDAChristian Democratic AppealThe Christian Democratic Appeal is a centre-right Dutch Christian democratic political party. It suffered severe losses in the 2010 elections and fell from the first to the fourth place...
– 4 seats - VVDPeople's Party for Freedom and DemocracyThe People's Party for Freedom and Democracy is a conservative-liberal political party located in the Netherlands. The VVD supports private enterprise in the Netherlands and is often perceived as an economic liberal party in contrast to the social-liberal Democrats 66 alongside which it sits in...
– 4 seats - Gemeente Belangen Wieringermeer – 2 seats
- PvdALabour Party (Netherlands)The Labour Party , is a social-democratic political party in the Netherlands. Since the 2003 Dutch General Election, the PvdA has been the second largest political party in the Netherlands. The PvdA was a coalition member in the fourth Balkenende cabinet following 22 February 2007...
– 2 seats - ChristianUnionChristianUnionThe ChristianUnion , abbreviated to CU, is a Dutch Christian democratic political party. A centrist party, the CU's policies combine social conservatism and soft euroscepticism with more centre-left positions on economic, immigration, and environmental issues.Founded in 2000 as a merger of the...
– 1 seat - Independent – 1 seat
- Progressief Wieringermeer – 1 seat