Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: Flevoland

Schokland - the first UNESCO world heritage site in the Netherlands - is an island in the polder landscape of the Noordoostpolder. The island is 4 kilometres long and 300-500 metres wide. In the past Schokland was located in the middle of the former Zuiderzee, which washed away large parts of the island during storms. People lived there - from prehistoric times and the Middle Ages until modern times - in spite of the threatening water and the poverty. Until around 1450, Schokland was not, in fact, an island but a swampy peatland with a few dry hills here and there. The whole area around Schokland was probably prepared for agriculture even before the 14th century. When the rising water washed away large pieces of the peatland, it became a peninsula. Schokland only became a real island when the (former) Zuiderzee swallowed up the last piece. People were already living on Schokland 12.000 years ago. They lived there as hunter-gatherers and fishermen. During the Middle Ages there were mainly farmers here who kept cattle and grew cereal crops. From the 12th century inhabitants lived on terpen (man-made mounds). At high tide or during a storm tide these hills were the only safe places on the island. During the 17th century, agriculture declined because of the loss of land to the sea. Trade, shipping and fishing became more and more important. In 1859, the islanders lost their battle against the water for good. The Dutch government decided that the inhabitants had to leave the island. Not only because of the continuing danger of floods, but also because of the poverty. Around 635 Schokkers moved to the mainland. Schokland remained in existence, but in 1942 - following the reclamation of the Noordoostpolder - it became an island on dry land. The Waterstaatskerk (also called Enserkerk ) was built in 1834 by the Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management, as a replacement for a small square church that had stood on this site until that time. This square building was so badly damaged by a storm in 1825 that it had to be demolished. The church served until the evacuation of Schokland. After that, it was used as a warehouse and sleeping place for seasonal workers. Nowadays this church - a national monument - is part of the Museum Schokland and is also used for weddings and classical concerts.

The Waterloopbos - official address in Marknesse, but as a matter of fact located nearby the small village of Kraggenburg - was built in the early 1950s. It offers 35 scale models of major water works from all over the world. Of course the famous Dutch Delta Works were tested here, but also for instance the ports of Rotterdam, Lagos, IJmuiden, Istanbul and Bangkok. Testing and simulating reality by engineers of the Waterloopkundig Laboratorium was done in the 50’s and 60’s of the 20th century. The Waterloopbos is located in the Noordoostpolder, one of the many Dutch polders. As this ‘new’ land lies five metres below sea level, so water could flow naturally to the test setups without needing pumps. With the help of this flowing water plus the creation of weirs, dams and wave machines, the engineers were able to test the influences certain forces would have on their proposed constructions. No more testing has been done here for decades and in many places the models have been reclaimed by nature. The old water ducts, weirs and sluices are now full of plants and shrubs. Parts of the Waterloopbos look like a green jungle, where the forest interacts with the dated technology. One of the models - a gigantic structure of two concrete walls - has been transformed into a massive artwork: Deltawerk // .

The Waterloopbos offers 35 scale models of hydraulic projects from all over the world. Off course the famous Dutch Deltawerken were tested here. The Deltagoot (Delta flume), a gigantic structure of two concrete walls in the Waterloopbos , served as the test location. Nowadays it has been transformed into an imposing memorial to the research once conducted in these woods. In the meantime this test location has lost its original function. In 2016 it was declared a Rijksmonument (Dutch national monument). The artists RAAAF | Atelier de Lyon were then asked by Natuurmonumenten (Society for Preservation of Nature Monuments in the Netherlands) to create a massive artwork from the famous 'Delta flume'. “Deltawerk //” became its title. And massive it has become: RAAAF and Atelier de Lyon have dug out the colossal wave basin; its concrete walls now tower some seven meters over the visitors. Enormous concrete panels were sawed out of the 250m-long Deltagoot, which were turned and placed at different angles to visualise the devastating power of the water. As years go by, nature will reclaim the work of art and mosses and ferns will take over (as in the rest of the Waterloopbos ).