The Beemster

A reclaimed polder is a drained polder that was originally a lake or part of the sea. It is a real specialty of the Dutch. 95% of all reclaimed land in Europe is located in the Netherlands. Most reclaimed land shows a scenic simplicity, or monotony if you don't like it.
The oldest Dutch reclaimed land dates from the first half of the sixteenth century. At that time, these were small lakes in North Holland that were being drained experimentally. At the end of the sixteenth century, the first large reclaimed land, the Zijpe, was drained. More famous, however, are the seventeenth-century and later reclaimed land, of which the Beemster (1608-1612) was the first important one. This polder has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1999.
One of the main reasons for the reclamation was to obtain agricultural land.

Pieter Erauw