Schokland

The unique Schokland was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1995. Schokland was once an island in the Zuiderzee, but due to land reclamation, it is now situated in the middle of the Noordoostpolder. In 1859, Schokland, then still an island, was evacuated for safety reasons. The island was eroding considerably due to wave action, and the looming risk of flooding made the village far too dangerous to inhabit. Moreover, maintaining the island was far too expensive, and by order of King William III, the entire island was evacuated in 1859. Ironically, the island has hardly become smaller since 1859 and has rarely been threatened by storms. In 1932, the danger subsided due to the completion of the Afsluitdijk in the IJsselmeer. Since the draining of the Noordoostpolder in 1942, it has been part of the mainland. Schokland was much larger in the Middle Ages than it is now. Heavy storms and coastal erosion caused the island to shrink over time. Of the three villages, only the buildings of Middelbuurt have been partially preserved, including a church dating from 1834. In the 1980s, several wooden houses in the style of the Zuiderzee were built. A museum is now located there, featuring a permanent exhibition on the discovery of, among other things, mammoths near the island. Near Schokland is a rock garden where stones from the Ice Ages can be admired. The former port of Emmeloord on the north side of the island has been partially reconstructed. The fate of Schokland has been processed by Harry Mulisch in the novella The Leap of the Horses and the Sweet Sea (1955).

Pieter Erauw