Dutch Waterworks Private tour (From Amsterdam- The Netherlands North)

The Dutch are famous for their waterworks. The fight against the water goes way back into medieval times where protection from the water was in everybody's interest to secure house as well as land and cattle. Building dykes and creating polders were the first activities to gain land and protect it from the forces of water. On February 1st 1953 a severe North-Western storm was hitting the shores of The Netherlands. Combined with springtide the force of the water grew to immense strength, stronger then a lot of dykes that therefor broke. Millions of liters of salty water rushed through the lowlands, destroying villages and flooding the land. 1835 people drowned, 70. 000 were evacuated and 46. 300 buildings were damaged or destroyed. The Dutch Government then decided to put an end to this hazard once and for all and the immense program of the Delta Works took a start.