Wieringerwerf
Encyclopedia
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 village is 4 metres below sea level. Dikes and pumping engines keep the land dry.
. Because of an employment project that was subsidised by the state, inhabitants from all over the country came to the Wieringermeer to help build an infrastructure. In only short time houses, shops, churches and schools rose in Wieringerwerf. Near the town a "terp" was built, an artificial hill that could serve as a refuge in case of an eventual bursting of the IJsselmeer
dike. On 1 July 1941 Wieringermeer became an independent municipality. On 29 September of the same year, the first inhabitants of the new land gave a memorial to the new mayor and aldermen. This statue, entitled De Maaier (The Mower), can be found on a square in the town centre. The inscription says: "Here a future was built, keep building."
On 17 April 1945 the Germans bombed the dike and within two days the complete polder was all water again (see also inundation of the Wieringermeer
). Most inhabitants fled to the old land, but a few found their refuge on the terp hill. On 11 December 1945 the polder was reclaimed again, so the building of Wieringerwerf could start for a second time. Nowadays, a monument and a deep pool still mark the location of the bursting.
In the decades after the reconstruction Wieringerwerf always had a growing population. Several quarters were built around the town centre. The town is still growing, so the inscription of the statue De Mower still finds a response.
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...
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:...
. It is a part of the municipality of Wieringermeer
Wieringermeer
Wieringermeer is a municipality and a polder in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.- Population centres :The municipality of Wieringermeer consists of the following cities, towns, villages and/or districts: Kreileroord, Middenmeer, Slootdorp, Wieringerwerf.- History :Around the year...
, and lies about 21 km southeast of Den Helder
Den Helder
Den Helder is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Den Helder occupies the northernmost point of the North Holland peninsula...
. With about 6000 inhabitants, Wieringerwerf is the largest town of the municipality. It is situated in a polder. The altitude of the village is 4 metres below sea level. Dikes and pumping engines keep the land dry.
History
In 1936 the construction of the village began, a few years after the reclamation of the polderPolder
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...
. Because of an employment project that was subsidised by the state, inhabitants from all over the country came to the Wieringermeer to help build an infrastructure. In only short time houses, shops, churches and schools rose in Wieringerwerf. Near the town a "terp" was built, an artificial hill that could serve as a refuge in case of an eventual bursting of the 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....
dike. On 1 July 1941 Wieringermeer became an independent municipality. On 29 September of the same year, the first inhabitants of the new land gave a memorial to the new mayor and aldermen. This statue, entitled De Maaier (The Mower), can be found on a square in the town centre. The inscription says: "Here a future was built, keep building."
On 17 April 1945 the Germans bombed the dike and within two days the complete polder was all water again (see also inundation of the Wieringermeer
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...
). Most inhabitants fled to the old land, but a few found their refuge on the terp hill. On 11 December 1945 the polder was reclaimed again, so the building of Wieringerwerf could start for a second time. Nowadays, a monument and a deep pool still mark the location of the bursting.
In the decades after the reconstruction Wieringerwerf always had a growing population. Several quarters were built around the town centre. The town is still growing, so the inscription of the statue De Mower still finds a response.