University of Groningen
When the Shore becomes the Sea
van Popta, Yftinus
DOI:
10.33612/diss.135931299
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Publication date: 2020
Link to publication in University of Groningen/UMCG research database
Citation for published version (APA):
van Popta, Y. (2020). When the Shore becomes the Sea: New maritime archaeological insights on the dynamic development of the northeastern Zuyder Zee region (AD 1100 – 1400), the Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.33612/diss.135931299
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127 Past and present in a unique landscape
The Noordoostpolder with its planned infrastruc-ture and modern appearance belongs to the youngest regions of the Netherlands. To some, it might be con-sidered boring, flat and monotonous with a history that is hard to experience. Others might actually appreciate the openness of the landscape, the long strait roads, large farms and tall windmills. Nevertheless, past and present are undeniably intertwined in this region. The clayish and sandy soils of the arable fields are for exam-ple still filled with characteristic Zuyder Zee shells.1 The
excavation of shipwrecks in the middle of fields covered with onions, tulips or potatoes further illustrates the interface between past and present.
The oldest settlements of the region and both for-mer islands (Schokland and Urk) still contain traces
of the late medieval phase of the region. Schokland should be considered the only peat island that survived the origin of the Zuyder Zee and many centuries of marine influence. The main artificial living mounds on the island (14th century AD) are still present and the 19th-century outline of the island has been highlighted with trees (Chapter 3, Fig. 3.3). After the 20th century reclamation of the Zuyder Zee, settlements like Kuinre, Blankenham, Blokzijl and Vollenhove transformed from coastal towns into inland settlements and lost their maritime identity to a large extent, although cer-tain characteristics like former harbours, reconstructed castles and the dikes can still be seen. The situation for Urk is rather different. Urk has been an island for a lit-tle more than a millennium, starting at the dawn of the Late Middle Ages and ending in AD 1939. The change of
8 Epilogue
Figure 8.1. Excavation of the 18th-century English merchantman ‘Queen Anne’ (NK 47-II) in the middle of arable crops in the Noordoostpolder (2018), c. 2 km west of settlement area 5 (see Fig. 6.4).
When the Shore becomes the Sea 128
status from mainland to island (Late Middle Ages) and from island to mainland (20th century) was not part of a natural cycle but a process, from beginning to end caused by human interference. During the final cen-turies of the Zuyder Zee, Urk changed focus from agri-culture to fishing, as the first proved unprofitable due to the lack of (fertile) land. Present-day Urk partially tries to hold on to this maritime identity: wandering around on Urk (indeed: on Urk, not in Urk) is, for those with a little imagination, the same as being on an island. The settlement still has some coastline on its western and southern edges, a harbor and an active fishing fleet. However, Urk as part of the mainland and surrounded by arable fields is way closer to its late medieval ances-try than many might expect.
The above given examples illustrate the uniqueness of the Noordoostpolder as a research area. Not because of single aspects: there are many more locations in the Netherlands (and across the world) that
con-tain remains of drowned settlements (e.g. the famous Drowned Lands of Saefthinge in the Dutch province of Zeeland, other parts of Flevoland like the Arkemheen polder and the Wadden-Sea coastal region that stretches from the Netherlands to Denmark). There are also many more examples of (much older) reclaimed lands in the Netherlands (e.g. Beemster, Scheemer, Purmer, Haarlemmermeerpolder) and abroad (e.g. Blockland and Nordstrand in Germany and De Polders in Belgium). However, the combination of the dynamic history of the region (from land into sea into land), together with a high amount of cultural heritage and modern artificial appearance, makes the Noordoostpolder truly unique. Endnote
1 Two typical Zuyder Zee shells are Mya arenaria (Soft shell-clam or Sand Gaper) and Cerastoderma glaucum (lagoon cockle).
