Wednesday 14 February, 2001
The Island On Dry Land
For centuries the Dutch waged a battle against the sea in a struggle to protect their low-lying land. The perception of water as an enemy became part of their culture. But now the people of the Netherlands are being forced to turn this lifelong enemy into a friend.
In this week's edition of Global Perspective, the series of programmes from broadcasters worldwide, Michele Ernsting of Radio Netherlands reports from the island of Schokland where nature is in the balance.
In the 1800s the people of Schokland lost their struggle against the waters and were forced off the island. During the last century land around the island was reclaimed. Schokland reappeared.
But now the water table is dropping, and the island is sinking - this time into the surrounding land. Only water can stop the process. Now the Dutch have to turn an enemy into a friend. But is this possible after such a long fight?
Schokland
The island of Schokland once lay in the turbulent waters of the Zuiderzee. This sea was connected to the North Sea and it spread south, deep into the heart of the Netherlands.
With every storm or high tide it claimed a piece of precious land. More powerful than any army, sea defences crumbled before it. It engaged the Dutch in a battle that would last for centuries. One of the casualties of this war was the island of Schokland.
Schokland was once a densely populated island, but as the Zuiderzee continued to gouge the Dutch coast eventually the Schokkers had to leave. In 1859, following repeated flooding, the last of the 700 villagers were evacuated by order of the King. Properties were destroyed and the people were discouraged from returning.
As Schokland got smaller and smaller, so the Zuiderzee gained force and the government recruited engineers and hydrologists to battle with it. They experimented with sea defences and finally, between 1927 and 1932, they
built a dyke 32 kilometres long. This massive feat of engineering severed the Zuiderzee from the North Sea.
Land Reclamation
Schokland never did get any smaller. In fact in 1942 the land was reclaimed from the sea. During the reclamation, the few buildings on Schokland provided shelter for the pioneers, who literally made the land, they would eventually farm.
The newly dry polders also provided fertile ground for another group of harvesters. Hans de Hann, regional co-ordinator for the State Archaeology Service, explains:
'We have more than 300 sites, which have been discovered ... It is exceptionally rich and very well preserved. Some of the most unusual things that we find are shipwrecks form the very early Middle Ages, say about 1200 to 1300 and up until very recent...In this area you can find literally hundreds of them.'
Nowadays you can't sail to the island, you have to drive or walk, over the sea bottom, across farmland, between the scattered shipwrecks. It attracts tourists from around the world and, although no one lives on Schokland any
more, it is still farmed and it has its own museum and restaurant.
'The wind howls around the church and it gives you a very good feeling of how it must have been...But when you go to the harbour, you walk on the foot boards and it is scary because the harbour is completely intact, but there is no water anymore. You see land and sheep ten metres below you.'
Descendant of Schokland. | |
New Threat
Now there is a new threat to Schokland. Not from the water but from the lack of it. Schokland sits on a bed of peat. As the water table in the area drops, so the peat crumbles.
To stop the process water must be pumped under the island. Dykes will be used to keep the water in instead of out but, unless measures are taken soon, Schokland will vanish into the landscape.
Schokland has once again entered into a watery battle, but as archaeologist Hans de Hann explains, this time the people realise that strength can be gained from harnessing the forces of the sea:
'The problem with water, especially the sea, is if you don't join it, it will beat you... So what we see is that we have to live with the water and try not to live against it.'
The water board has agreed to build extra dykes to create a buffer zone around the island. This will prevent the higher water from seeping into the fields and damaging the crops. It is a complex programme, which, will take years to complete.
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| World Heritage |
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To the people of the Netherlands, Schokland symbolises the continuing battle that the country has with the sea. The island is so unique that it is the only Dutch monument to be listed in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Here it stands along side such wonders as the Tower of Pisa and the pyramids at Giza.
The report describes Schokland as:
'The Island in the Polder is a place of exceptional universal value.' |
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