How the Dutch solved an (almost) Impossible Problem

The ocean has been friend and foe for as The Netherlands exist. The Dutch have long used their ingenuity to manage the water, but a perfect storm in 1916 prompted them to embark on the most ambitious project to date: to reclaim the Zuider Sea.

FULL TRANSCRIPT + SOURCES:

MAIN SOURCES:
Canon van Flevoland (Canon Van Nederland):

De inpolderingshistorie (Stichting Polder Pioniers):

Ontgonnen verleden (WUR):

#TheNetherlands #History #Flevoland

[Charliecomet]

"Buy land, they're not making it anymore." Mark Twain. "Hold our Heinekens." The Dutch.

[sriharshacv]

I am really happy that they named after the engineers instead of politicians. That shows a certain level of integrity.

[royw-g]

The flood in 1953 hit England too, Canvey Island was swamped that is reclaimed land too. The Dutch engineers came over and got it done very quickly.

[raskalthefirst]

The saying goes "God created the Earth, but the Dutch created the Netherlands"

Proud to be a Dutch person :)

[renedekker]

My father led the construction of the first houses of Lelystad. I still remember his stories about the difficulty building in the muddy conditions. During the week, he needed to stay in a hotel just to the south of Flevoland, and then drive the length of the dike to the construction site every day.
Thanks for rekindling the memories.

[ronnie]

De beste documentaire die ik op dit gebied gezien heb. Zeer informatief en uitmundend van kwaliteit. Complimenten!

[ronalddevine]

Cheers to the Dutch. Very intelligent and industrious people.

[dennisklomp]

My father traveled through flevoland in his youth when the land was still very young.

He remembered it feeling "off" and very eerie. Days later it struck him why: there were no trees yet. Just grass and a perfect horizon.

When I drive through Flevoland I can still see that the land is young. I miss the oak trees that surround my home and were saplings when the flood hit.

[bsmy]

This short documentary is excellent. • I've spent much time in the Netherlands since the mid-'60s. I wish I'd known what was covered in this video back then. Our Dutch family friends there are virtually like blood family to us. A large percentage of the Netherlands speak English. However, the Dutch narrator of this video speaks English better than most people I know whose native language is English. All-in-all, very impressive!!

[JK-gutl]

If I was potus, I would put the Dutch in charge of America's infrastructure.

[fredericvallieres]

Really impressed by the tenacity of the Dutch people. One the very rarest countries in the world, if not the only one, whose shores have been massively redesigned by man's hand.

[Grunfeld]

Really interesting. I'm English and heard the word "polder" in some geography lesson when I was about 9 but the teacher was boring, and The Netherlands could have been on the moon. I had no idea the land reclamation was this impressive. Genuine admiration for the Dutch engineering and people.

[alexjonker]

De Afsluitdijk saved so many lives, infrastructure and buildings in 1953 that they said the whole project paid itself off that one night.

[MofoMan]

Holy crap, NOTHING STOPS THESE PEOPLE. Not kings, not wars, not floods, not revolutions, not depressions, and NOT EVEN NAZIS could stop the Dutch. These people are an unstoppable force that hasn't yet met an immovable object. I think we should all admire that.

[Maxime_K-G]

Knappe video. Eindelijk eentje die niet te kort door de bocht gaat maar de volledige geschiedenis mooi uitlicht.
Wat ik zo mooi vind is da ze nu ook het natuurgebied de Marker Wadden hebben gebouwd. Dat bewijst blijkbaar echt een succes te zijn, steeds meer soorten duiken er op en het is een klein paradijs in wat anders een zeer natuurarm land is.

[mikeu]

Land reclamation has been a major activity here in Japan since the 1960s, although for reasons other than imminent flooding. Mostly for population concerns, but the threats of tsunami also play a factor. Land reclamation projects are mostly centered around the more populated cities such as Tokyo and Osaka. Thank you for an insightful video.

[zonzeven]

Interesting video, but allow me a comment. At 0:13 you mention a rise in sea level of 70 cm, which would not be enough to break any dike. The days before the flood this was indeed the rise of the water level, but on the day of the disaster the level was more then 3 m (10 ft) above mean sea level.

[davedear]

So interesting. Mind bogling work from such a determined nation. Very inspirational. Many thanks.

[fredskolnick]

Dutch Water Engineers were the best, and still are! The Polders are amazing feats of engineering.

[shelleyhender]

Canada has tremendous fondness for our Dutch brethren!🇨🇦☺🇳🇱