Hondsbossche Zeewering

In the Middle Ages, the coast near Petten consisted of a dune bar that was a kilometer further west than the current coast. In the 15th century, the St. Elizabeth's Flood (1421) caused a breakthrough that knocked away a large part of the dune bar. The dunes were subsequently restored, but the sea continued to calving the dunes on the sea side, which was compensated by sand replenishment on the land side. This flexible coastal defense, with the dune bar moving eastward over the years, meant that land was surrendered to the sea. In the 16th century, the shifting of the dune bar was stopped by the construction of stilt works along the coastline, as a shoring to protect the foot of the dune bar, and beachheads (breakwaters that protrude into the sea at right angles to the coastline). These fortifications could not prevent a breakthrough during the very heavy storm surge of 1570 (All Saints' Flood). When the piles and heads fell into disrepair in the 17th century, they resorted to flexible coastal defence, with the dune bar moving eastwards. In 1880, the vulnerable sand dike, which had been on its current site since the end of the 18th century, was significantly strengthened. The marram grass vegetation on the slope on the sea side was replaced by a deck of basalt blocks. This seawall finally proved resistant to severe storms. In 1981 the dike was raised to Delta height, 11.5 meters above sea level.

The name of the Hondsbossche Zeewering is derived from a real forest. Until the All Saints' Flood in 1570, a dune area with forest could be found on the site of the seawall. This forest was called the Hondsbosch, a remnant of a larger coastal forest. The name Hondsbosch says something about the size of the forest. The size was 0.1 hectares, which was equivalent to 'a forest the size of a dog', an old area size.

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