Discover the 800-year-old West Frisian Omringdijk
Living monument gets app
Dive into about 800 years of West Frisian Omringdijk with a contemporary app. The more than 126 kilometers long dike runs, as the name suggests, around West Friesland. For the West Frisians, the dike has been their mainstay over the centuries against the raging water. After all, West Friesland was once surrounded by water from all sides. Download the app and learn about the past and present of the dike in your area.
The Westfriese Omringdijk is the historic dike (provincial monument) that runs around West Friesland. This region was surrounded by water from all sides for centuries. The most danger came from the Zuiderzee, nowadays the IJsselmeer. A large part of our management area was also still under water: the Beemster, Schermer, Zijpe, Wieringermeer and even the Heerhugowaard. It is up to the West Frisians and their water boards to keep their land dry. The Omringdijk is the living monument of this struggle.
25 locations
This app brings the traces of the battle against water to life in 25 locations with stories, photos and maps. From the Lely pumping station to the Kolk van Dussen, from the Zijpe to the Zuiderdijk. Use the app outside on the dike, where you will receive a notification when you are near a good story. You can also experience the history of the dike from your lazy chair.
Present and past
In the app we show that history does not stand alone: where mills used to be used for milling, today we drain the water with electric mills. Not all locations go that far back in time, though; we have opted for places with current significance, such as the Kolk van Dussen water storage facility, where we temporarily collect water during heavy precipitation. The recently built C. Mantel pumping station near Schardam, which makes our water management even more efficient, also has a place in the app.
Download app
Curious? Then go to the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store and search for Westfriese Omringdijk.