Wieringermeer (population: 12,583 in 2004) is a municipality in the north-western Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. The municipality covers an area of 307.76 km² (of which 112.94 km² water).

The municipality of Wieringermeer consists the following towns, villages and townships: Kreileroord, Middenmeer, Slootdorp, Wieringerwerf.

History

The Wieringmeerpolder is a polder, newly created land. The creation of this polder started in 1927. Originally the polder would have been created after the completion of the Afsluitdijk, but there was a severe lack of agricultural ground. This meant that the dikes for the polder had to be built in the Zuiderzee, a sea, instead of in the milder lake IJsselmeer that the Zuiderzee would become after the completion of the Afsluitdijk. Therefore the dikes had to be tougher and ready to withstand the sea. The prohibition of the polder was on August 21, 1930.

The new land became useable in 1934. Four villages (Slootdorp (1931), Middenmeer (1933), Wieringerwerf (1936) and Kreileroord (1957)) eventually grew up in the polder. Since July 1, 1941 the Wieringermeer is an independent municipality. The Netherlands were occupied by Nazi Germany and on April 17, 1945 a vengeful German command ordered the dike of the Wieringermeer to be blown up: the Wieringmeer was innundated. No-one was killed as the polder slowly submerged again, but the high water and a subsequent storm destroyed most of the infrastructure built in the previous decade. Reconstruction followed quickly; by the end of 1945 the polder was declared drained again and rebuilding the roads and bridges, houses and farms, was greatly facilitated by the experience of building them the first time.

External link

• Official Website