The incredible £460m wall that saved an entire country from being swallowed up by the sea
This sea wall in the Netherlands saved the country from catastrophic flooding in 1953 and is still protecting it up until the present day.
The Afsluitdijk wall in the Netherlands was constructed between 1927 and 1932 and spans over a length of 32km from the Den Oever in North Holland province to the village of Zurich in Friesland province.
The project was the largest of its kind in the world at the time it was built, requiring approximately 36 million metres cubed of material.
It was built to protect low-lying areas of the Netherlands from flooding, and in 1953, the Afsluitdjik saved many areas in the country from “catastrophic” flooding.
However, in 2019, Dutch authorities invested over £460m in strengthening the structure due to the increase in sea levels and storm conditions.
The investment included 70,000 concrete blocks and new drainage systems to “break waves in case of a storm”.
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Additionally, the new layer of the wall has been “designed to preserve the spectacular simplicity that gives the dike its unique character”. Today it sits 7.25 metres above sea level and is 90 metres wide.
Many projects are still in the works to improve the whole construction of the “nation-saving” wall. Construction of Storm Surge barriers (safety locks) are being built to protect areas against high water for the next 100 years, where ships will also be able to pass through.
The plan is that if the water level in the Wadden Sea ever becomes too high the locks will be closed, protecting the land against high tides.
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Dutch Authorities are currently planning to develop Korwerderzand, a village on the Afsluitdijk which is a junction for road and water traffic.
The village already has attractions such as the Afsluitdijk Wadden Centre and the Casemate Museum (Kazemattenmuseum).
There are also plans to transform the area into a “tourist-recreational” attraction on the Afsluitdijk.