The Afsluitdijk by Lisa Antoinette Photography

About "The Afsluitdijk"

by Lisa Antoinette Photography

About the artwork

The Afsluitdijk (Frisian: Ofslútdyk, IPA: /'ɔ:slüdik/; West Frisian: Ofsluitdoik) is the dam between North Holland and Friesland, which closes off the IJsselmeer lake from the Wadden Sea. This is where the dam gets its name. The Afsluitdijk is important to protect the Netherlands from flooding.

The Afsluitdijk is part of the Zuiderzee works. The construction started in 1927. In 1932, the last closure hole, the Vlieter, was closed. One year later, the dike was opened for road traffic. At the place where the Afsluitdijk was closed, a monument was erected, the Vlieter monument.

On both sides of the Afsluitdijk are locks for shipping and sluices. Towards North Holland they are the Stevin Locks. At Kornwerderzand, a good 4 km from Friesland, are the Lorentzsluizen. The whole dyke is 32.5 km long, the water-retaining part 30 km.

On the Afsluitdijk there's a traffic road that connects both provinces. This road is part of the Rijksweg 7. The road is not located at the highest point of the dike but south of it, so the Wadden Sea is not visible from the road. Between the motorway and the highest point lies a bicycle path. As cyclists are not allowed on a motorway, the bike path should be considered a separate road.

Rijkswaterstaat closes the Afsluitdijk to pedestrians and cyclists from 2019 to 2022 due to major maintenance on the dike. They can then travel free by bus. They can take their bikes if they wish.