19-20 October 2023 - Netherlands – Land of Dikes and Windmills

 

19-20 October 2023 - Netherlands – Land of Dikes and Windmills

Last night we sailed from Germany to the Netherlands.  As the many days of traveling was begining to catch up with us, we did not do anything in the last two stops in Germany – Cochem and Bonn.  We had been to these two towns the last time we took this cruise so decided we both needed a well-deserved rest.  If you are interested in what these two towns offer, you can read our previous blogs.  Just go to www.travelingsiegs.blogspot.com and scan down to November 2017 and there is a blog on the Cities along the Rhine.

The Netherlands, which means lower countries, is a country where over one-fourth of its country lie below sea level – and over half of the country lies less than three feet above sea level.  If not for its dunes and dikes, most of its most populated areas would be inundated by the sea and the rivers that run through the country.  Most of the areas below sea level are artificial.  Since the late 16th century, large areas have been reclaimed from the sea and lakes, amounting to nearly 17% of the country's current land mass.

Much of the country was originally formed by the estuaries of three large European rivers: the Rhine, the Maas and the Schelde, as well as their tributaries.  The south-western part of the Netherlands is to this day a river delta of these three rivers, the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta.  As a result, many thousands of lives have been lost due to flooding over the centuries.  To guard against floods, a series of defenses against the water were developed.  In the first millennium AD, villages, farmhouses, and roads were built on man-made hills called dikes.  In the 12th century, local government agencies called "waterschappen"("water boards") or "hoogheemraadschappen"("high home councils") started to appear, whose job it was to maintain the water level and to protect a region from floods; these agencies continue to exist today.  As the ground level dropped, the dikes by necessity grew and merged into an integrated system.  By the 13th century windmills had come into use to pump water out of areas below sea level.  The windmills were later used to drain lakes, some were used to cut timber, and some to mill grain into flour.  Some of the water-control windmills are still in use today.

After the1953 flood disaster, the Delta Works were constructed, a comprehensive set of civil works throughout the Dutch coast.  The project started in 1958 and was largely completed in 1997.  The Delta project is considered by the American Society of Civil Engineers as one of the seven wonders of the modern world.

The Delta Works was a system to protect the low-lying lands in this region.  The idea they originally came up with was to dam up and block the flow of the North Sea into the Rivers on the coast of the Netherlands.  The aim of the dams, sluices, and storm surge barriers was to shorten the Dutch coastline, thus reducing the number of dikes that had to be raised.  They did this in the northern region of the country, but the result was that the estuaries and inland waters died because they did not receive any fresh water – fish and wildlife all but disappeared.  The people in Zeeland protested against this option, and the Delta Works was formed.  Engineers developed an ingenious system of pillars and storm gates that were erected across the entrance of the Rhine-Maas-Scheldt delta.  They first had to make two man-made islands in the middle of the delta leading into the North Sea.  Then a trench was dug and covered with a sandwich of a mesh of metal-netting covered with a layer of stones, then topped with another metal-netting rug.  Then the 65 pillars (each 128 feet tall and weighing 18,000 tons) were dropped on to the metal-netting rug.  Between the pillars 62 large metal gates (weighing between 300 and 500 tons) were installed and then a road was built on top of the pillars.  In the event of a potential flood, the gates can be lowered to prevent the water from the North Sea from entering the estuary.  All the gates must be lowered at the same time.  If one gate should fail to close, the other gates must be raised – the water pressure from the sea trying to get into one un-lowered gate would destroy the entire project.  All of the equipment used in this project (from the tools to manufacture to pillars to the specialized boats needed to lay down the metal-netting rug and drop the pillars into place) had to be specially made for this project and was built on the two man-made islands.  Unfortunately, after the project was completed, no one wanted the equipment so it was destroyed.  Since the project was completed in 1997 the gates have been lowered 25 times.  What an amazing feat of engineering.  We did not visit the Delta Works on this trip, but on a previous cruise we were able to visit.  The power of the water and the swiftness of the current were eye-opening.  Unfortunately, because of concern for the security and safety of the dam, the dam is now closed to visitors.  These pictures are from our previous visit to the Delta Water Works.

Delta Works Today

Gate Open - Water Rushing Out

Our first stop in the Netherlands was Nijmegen, the oldest city in the Netherlands, built on seven hills overlooking the River Waal where it meets the Rhine.  It is also the 10th largest city in the Netherlands with a population of 165,000 people.

One of the earliest mentions of the city is around the 1st Century BC.  At that time the Romans built a camp on the spot where the city would later be built.  They chose the location because of the strategic defense offered by the surrounding hills.  By 98 AD Nijmegen was granted city rights by the Romans.  During the 4th Century, as Roman rule in the region diminished and in the ensuing years the city fell under French, Spanish, and finally Dutch rule. 

Due to its geographic location, the city was fortified heavily for a number of years, and endured numerous sieges over the centuries.  As the population increased, many in the city wanted the fortification torn down to accommodate growth.  However, it wasn’t until 1874 that the defenses were actually dismantled.

Though at peace today, Nijmegen has experienced centuries of war-related violence.  Even as recently as WWII the city was the focal point of aggression.  In 1940 it was the first Dutch city to be captured by the Germans.  In an extremely unfortunate miscommunication, American bombers actually bombed the city, while mistakenly thinking they were bombing the German city of Kleve.  The death toll was over 750 people.

It was also the location of an unsuccessful Allied military operation – Operation Market Garden (17-25 September 1944).  The largest airborne operation up to that date, its goal was to force an entry into Germany by capturing the bridges across the Maas and Rhine Rivers.  The airborne forces were to secure the bridges and allow the armored units to make a rapid advance into Northern Germany.  Although there were some early successes, the Allies ground tank force’s advance was delayed, resulting in the need for the airborne troops that had secured the bridges to evacuate the area.  After that, the operation failed as did the Allied hope of finishing the war by Christmas 1944.  While the Operation was deemed a failure, the townspeople of Nijmegen are forever grateful for the efforts of the US Army to try and free them from the Germans.  Even today at nightfall, 48 townsfolk cross over one of the bridges (where 48 Americans were killed) carrying lights to commemorate the lives lost in trying to capture the bridge.

We then left for a short walking tour through the Old Town of Nijmegen.  It is not a very big area, so there was not much to see.  Near the waterfront is the statue of a woman standing on the corner of a building watching for her husband to come back from the sea.  Our first stop was at Anthonispoort, one of two city wall gates remaining.  In 1589, a group of Dutch soldiers, let by Maarten Schenck, tried to drive the Spanish troops out of Nijmegen.  Unfortunately, they were not successful and Schenck was forced into the Waal River where the weight of his armor caused him to drown.  The Spanish them beheaded him and mounted his head on a stake.  Two years later, after the Dutch captured the city, his remains were buried in St. Stevens Church.  We then stopped at a statue showing a mother crying for her daughter who had been sent to the Dachau concentration camp and later died.

Mother Crying for her Daughter

Woman Waiting for Her Husband to Return

Anthonispoort Gate

As we walked toward the central town square, we passed the DeWit Cheese Store,  Here you can buy any type of cheese you want.  Along some of the streets are small plaques in memory of the many citizens who were killed in February 1944 when the city was accidently bombed by US planes.

DeWit Cheese

Plaque in Memory of Citizens
During WWII Accidental Bombing

Our next stop was at the St. Stevenskerk Church, where construction started in 1260, but was not completed until 1560.  Although heavily damaged during WWII, it has since been restored to its original beauty.  Originally a Roman Catholic Church, it became a Protestant Church in 1591 and as a result many of its art treasures and relics, including the arm of St. Steven (for whom the church was named) have disappeared.  The interior of the church is somewhat austere with its white walls, but it has a beautiful wooden ceiling and chandeliers.  There are no pews, just benches that are put up during services and organ concerts.  The church has 3 organs including the large organ that dominates the interior of the church.  It was hand made by Ludwig Konig between 1774-1776 and is known for its special sound.  While it is still an active church with regular services, it is also used to host concerts, exhibitions and organ recitals.

One of the more interesting things to see (or maybe bizarre would be a better name) is the little statue of the devil in front of the church.  Some people claim that the devil is “mooning” the church. 

St. Stevens Church an Nijmegen Waterfront

St. Stevenskerk Church

Inside the Church

Inside the Church-the Organ

Inside the Church

Inside the Church

Statue of Devil Mooning the Church

From the Church we walked through the St. Stefanstor arch way to Grote Market, the center of Nijmegen.  This square is a combination of well-preserved medieval buildings, cafes, lively open-air markets on some days, and a very modern 3 story department store  .On the archway leading into the square is a beautiful old building and on one side of the square is the Town Hall. which was once a weigh house.  And in the middle of the square is a bronze statue of a woman called the Mariken of Nijmegen (Little Mary of Nijmegen).  One of the symbols of the town, it is also one of the most popular pieces of Dutch literature – a play written between 1485 and 1510 that tells the story of Mariken who, for seven years, lived with the devil. 

In the beginning, Mariken lived with her uncle outside of town.  One day she had to go into town to shop for her uncle.  By the time she was through it was too late to walk back into the forest and her aunt did not allow her to stay in her home.  As she wandered through the countryside, she met the Devil (who called himself Moenen) who convinced her to go with him to Antwerp.  There she lived for seven years.  But Mariken longed to return to Nijmegen and see her family.  She and Moenen returned to Nijmegen where Mariken saw a pageant whose message was that anyone can receive God’s forgiveness of sins if they repent.  Moenen sees her asking for forgiveness and tries many times unsuccessfully to kill her.  The Pope tells her she will not receive forgiveness until the three rings she must wear around her arms and neck fall off through the help of God.  Mariken then enters a convent where one morning she wakes up and finds that the rings have fallen off and God has forgiven her.

Also in the square was a food kiosk where our Program Director bought us some herring and fried cod to sample.  Herring is not one of my favorite foods, but the fried cod was delicious.

Looking Back at St. Stevens Church

Town Hall in Grote Market

Town Hall

Old Building over the Stefanstor (archway)

Mariken Statue

In the afternoon our Program Directors had arranged for us to visit Freedom Museum .  The focus is on WWII and tells the story of the German occupation of Nijmegen and the Netherlands, the story of Nijmegen’s liberation at the end of the war, and the legacy and reconstruction of Nijmegen after the war.  The museum uses a mixture of exhibitions, photographs, movies and interactive displays to explore the history of this timeframe and the life of the people as they lived through the war and the rebuilding period after.  In one section you sit while in front of you a panorama of Operation Market Garden plays out in front of you while a speaker near your ear tells you the story of the battle.

WWII Tank in Front of Museum

Poster In Museum

Operation Market Garden Exhibit

Clothes Worn During WWII

Photo of Operation Garden Market

Poster in Museum

Newspaper Article in Museum

By the time we got back to the ship, rain had started to fall and it rained heavily through the night and the next day, cutting short our visit to the Netherlands,  Thank goodness we had already seen the Kinderdik windmills on our earlier cruise.  I have included a description from my 2017 blog on the windmills of what we would have seen today.

Kinderdijk, is famous for its 19 windmills built around 1740 and still working today for water control.  As in years past, their purpose is to drain excess water from reclaimed, low-lying land and pump it into nearby rivers and canals (they pump from low to high).  Millers (as they are called) still live in the windmills with their families and are responsible for the upkeep, maintenance and operation of the windmills.  Today they are the largest concentration of preserved windmills in the Netherlands.  All the work maintaining the windmills is down by hand – no machinery.  They have a system of communication between the windmills so that if there is a flood emergency, they can put the windmills in operation to pump out the excess water.  (Pictures are from an earlier trip to Kinderdijk.)

Oldest Windmill in Kinderdijk

Windmills in Kinderdijk

 

And so we say goodbye to the Netherlands and cruise on to our last country and stop – Antwerp, Belgium.