In fact Neeltje Jans is a special case on this site. Strictly speaking it does not really meet two of the most important criteria that I formulated on the introduction page under "But... what is an island?": it is not permanently inhabited and it never was in the past, and neither it can boast on a rich island tradition. And what's more, actually it isn't even an island, as you can get there by car without any problem!

Yet I had no doubts when considering the question whether this former sandbank in the Eastern Scheldt deserves a place on the site. The reason is that since 1979 this small island houses the country's major information and exhibition center regarding the Delta Project. There is no other place where you are presented such a comprehensive overview of the making of the Zeeland delta area and the everlasting struggle against the water, the leitmotiv that dominates its history. The struggle that eventually has resulted in the realization of the Delta Project.

In a certain way Neeltje Jans can be considered as the center of the Delta Works. It owes its very existence to the Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier, which is commonly regarded as the pinnacle of this huge project. Additionally, this little island was of vital importance for the realization of the barrier and it is even an integral part of it as well.

The information center has now evolved into a real theme park under the name 'WaterLand Neeltje Jans', attracting over 300,000 visitors yearly from all over the country and abroad. And right it is. In fact, a visit to the islands of Zeeland should always start here, on Neeltje Jans.

It's impossible to say how old Neeltje Jans exactly is. The only thing we know is that the oldest map showing a sandbank with this name in the mouth of the Eastern Scheldt estuary goes back to the year 1799. The French cartographer who made this map named the sandbank 'Neeltje Jans' because a ship of that name would have been wrecked here, but there are no other sources confirming this story.

So, what was been here before 1799 is uncertain. We must realize that the delta area is extremely dynamic and that its appearance has been continuously changing over the years. Sandbanks formed spontaneously and sometimes even developed into inhabited islands that -after some decades or only after centuries- might be swallowed again by the water. For example, by the end of the 16th century, at about the location of today's Neeltje Jans, the little island of Orisant was situated. It was a sandbank with some salt marshes that became diked in 1602 and then were leased out to farmers for pasturing their cattle. However, the new island dwellers did not hold out very long. After several dike breaches and subsequent floods they were forced to give up the island and leave in 1639, after which it disappeared under the sea forever.
 

Most sources agree that the name 'Neeltje Jans' is a common corruption of Nehalennia, the Roman goddess that played a prominent role in this area at the beginning of our era and who has already been discussed on the Walcheren and Noord-Beveland pages. At two different locations, both within a 25 km-range of the present island of Neeltje Jans, major finds have been made that confirm the prominent position of this goddess. Near Domburg, on the present island of Walcheren, the remains of a sanctuary that was dedicated to Nehalennia were uncovered from below the sand of the dunes by a heavy storm in 1647. And since 1970 dozens of altar stones with the likeness of the goddess have been dredged up from the waters of the Eastern Scheldt near the village of Colijnsplaat on the present island of Noord-Beveland. These must originate from the Nehalennia temple of the Roman settlement Ganuenta, that is mentioned in ancient documents.

The character of Nehalennia is somewhat mysterious. Although the finds mentioned indeed go back to the time that the Romans lived in this area and often show inscriptions in Latin, some sources claim that the worship of the goddess is much older and has its origin in the Celtic culture. The Romans are assumed to have adopted the Nehalennia-cult and embedded it in their own religious tradition, as also happened elsewhere in the vast Roman Empire with indigenous mythology. Something similar happened in later ages, when Christianity gained a firm foothold in this area and remodeled the goddess Nehalennia seamlessly into the Holy Virgin Mary.

It's for sure that with the Celts as well as the Romans Nehalennia was the goddess of security and protection against the sea. As such she became the patroness of the seamen, which explains her great popularity in this area with a long tradition of overseas trade. At that time it was common practice that the merchants, prior to a dangerous voyage overseas, went to the sanctuary of the goddess to pray for a safe passage. And if their prayers were answered they often gratefully presented an altar stone to the temple after their return. It is this kind of stones that were retrieved in large numbers from the bottom of the Eastern Scheldt.  

It is a striking circumstance that the little island of Neeltje Jans that was named after Nehalennia has become the cradle of the Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier, the hydraulic wonder which since 1986 protects the population of a large part of Zeeland against the sea. So, in a certain way the goddess of security -in a contemporary form- still lives on!

The struggle against the water is the leitmotiv in the history of the area of the Zeeland delta. The stories of storms and floods through the ages are almost countless; the first documented report goes all the way back to the year 838. In the 15th century there were the two St. Elizabeth floods, in 1530 there was the notorious St. Felix flood ('Quade Saterdach' or 'Bad Saturday') that completely swept the islands of Noord-Beveland and Sint Philipsland away, and in 1532 as well as in 1570 there was a severe flood on All Saints Day (1st of November). It is just a pick from a long series.

All those disasters caused great losses of lives and massive damage to goods an chattels. It is obvious that every disaster was succeeded by measures to prevent that such a thing would ever happen again: raising and reinforcement of existing dikes, construction of new ones, dike watch to detect the weak places at an earlier stage and better cooperation and coordination in dike management and maintenance. Of course this really did help, but yet there would always be a moment, later in time, when it would go wrong again.

Like in the final night of January 1953, when a fatal combination of a very heavy northwesterly storm (force 11 Beaufort) and spring tide pushed up the waters in the funnel of the southern part of the North Sea to a height that had never been measured before. The effect was catastrophic: in the delta area the dikes broke up at 500 places, causing 175,000 hectares to be flooded. During the night of the disaster and the high tide of the next day, Sunday February 1st, 1,835 people perished, together with tens of thousands head of cattle.
 

The floods on
February 1st, 1953
(source:delta2003.nl)
 

The flood disaster of 1953 was the last one in a long series, but it was also the first one about which the world was notified via the mass media. In the past the full size and impact of flood disasters hardly became known among the population in other parts of the country. This time the public was informed from hour to hour by special editions of newspapers and radio reports about the events in the disaster area. And even more impressing were the pictures that were shown in the newsreels at the cinemas, pictures of flooded towns and villages where boats with rescue workers sailed down the streets, of people who were plucked off the roof of their house by a helicopter, and of dead bodies of cows and horses floating around.

The impact of mass communication was tremendous. Although the 1953 disaster was not by far the hardest ever -the All Saints Flood of 1570 for instance made more than ten times the number of casualties- it raised an unprecedented spirit of solidarity with the victims, together with a strong feeling of determination to put an end to the constant threat of the water once and for all now. The statement "This never again!" was illustrative of the resoluteness that took possession of the country. Supported by public opinion, politicians and engineers could start working on the realization of this desire. The result was the Delta Plan.

The plan that -after several studies- was submitted to parliament for approval in 1955 was of a simple design but, at the same time, of enormous proportions. The basic idea was that the safety of the delta area could be best secured by closing the major inlets between the islands with dikes that would be strong enough to resist the heaviest storms. These were -from north to south- the Haringvliet, Grevelingen, Oosterschelde (Eastern Scheldt), Veerse Gat and Westerschelde (Western Scheldt). 

This concept, which elaborated on plans that were developed before the Second World War, was quite obvious. Closure of the inlets would reduce the total length of dikes to be reinforced with no less than 700 km. At the same time it would create large freshwater reservoirs behind the dams, which was favorable for agriculture and recreation. And finally new roads across the dams would improve access to the islands from the mainland and put an end to their age-long isolation.
 

The Delta Plan as it was submitted to parliament
 in 1955
(source:delta2003.nl)
 

But the realization would be much less simple than it looked at first sight. There was no expertise at all with closing off estuaries of this size, where extremely strong tidal currents occur twice a day. However, the hydraulic engineers were convinced that it could be done. But it would have a price tag on it of € 900 million, an unimaginable amount of money at that time. And the realization of the complete plan would take at least 25 years.

The idea of completely closing off the Western Scheldt was left at an early stage. International agreements compelled the Netherlands to guarantee shipping traffic to and from Antwerp an unhindered passage and with a complete enclosure that would be out of the question. The alternative was to raise and reinforce all dikes on both sides along the Western Scheldt. In 1957 the Delta Bill, which settled the realization and the funding of the Delta Plan was passed, in parliament. So, the work could now begin.
 

The Delta Plan as it was actually realized.
The numbers in the text
refer to this map.
(source:delta2003.nl)
 

The first part of the Delta Plan that was to be realized was the storm surge barrier in the Hollandse IJssel (1), near the town of Krimpen. The Hollandse IJssel is a modest river that flows into the Maas just east of Rotterdam. But it runs through one of the lowest areas of the Netherlands and is a potential safety risk, as at high water levels related with storm surges the water of the river cannot be drained off to the sea, threatening the polders along the river that are lying more than 5 meters below sea level to be flooded.

The safest solution, closing off the Hollandse IJssel completely, was not an option because of the importance of the river for shipping. That's why it was decided to build a moveable storm surge barrier, that would be closed only at extreme high water levels, when there was an actual risk of flooding. This barrier, which was already completed in 1958, would serve as a model for similar larger-scale constructions in the Eastern Scheldt and the Nieuwe Waterweg.
 

Storm surge barrier in the Hollandse IJssel near Krimpen

The next part of the Delta Plan to be realized was the Drie Eilandenplan (Three Islands Plan) subproject. It contained the interconnection of the islands of Zuid-Beveland, Walcheren and Noord-Beveland by closing off the inlets Veerse Gat and Zandkreek. This would bring the security of the coasts of these three islands to a much higher level. Additionally, closing off the inlets would gradually convert them into a large freshwater lake, with new opportunities in the field of recreation and water management for agricultural purposes.

The Zandkreek Dam (10) at the eastern side of the project was the first major enclosure as part of the Delta works and it was an opportunity for the engineers to gain the experience needed for the much larger dams that were to follow. The 830 meter-long dam was constructed upon a backbone of 12 concrete caissons that were sunk down and then filled with sand. Upon this core the body of the dike was built. The Zandkreek dam was completed in 1960.
 

Zandkreek Dam

Next to follow was the Veerse Gat Dam (8) that was completed in 1961. Its construction was a new challenge, as the Veerse Gat inlet was more than twice as wide as the Zandkreek and the tidal currents were much stronger here. To cope with these currents so-called 'drain caissons' were adopted for the first time, huge concrete containers of the size of a six-stories apartment building, with openings so that the water could flow through unhindered. Only after all caissons had been put in place these openings were closed by lowering steel slides, closing the whole dam in one go. Then the caissons were filled with sand and upon this solid core the body of the dam was built.
 

Veerse Gat Dam

After de Veerse Gat Dam the Grevelingen Dam (5) followed, which links the islands of Goeree-Overflakkee and Schouwen-Duiveland with each other. With a projected length of 6 km this dam was considerably longer than anything that had been built so far. On the other hand this was not a major seawall but a so-called secondary dam, mainly indented to manage water flow in the delta area.

For the construction of the Grevelingen Dam three different techniques were used. The deepest channel, at the Schouwen-Duiveland end, was closed with caissons similar to those used for the Veerse Gat Dam. To close the northern channel, which was too wide for the application of caissons, a special cableway was constructed. Along this cableway cable cars were running with nets suspended beneath them that were loaded with rocks and concrete blocks, which were subsequently dumped into the water at the desired location. The central part of the dam was made by raising an existing sandbank to the required level with sand. Construction of the Grevelingen Dam started in 1958 and in 1965 it was ready.
 

Grevelingen Dam

The work on building the Volkerakdam (3) lasted from 1957 till 1969. This was also a seconday dam, with the main purpose of forcing the water that came pouring in from the rivers Rhine and Maas into the Haringvliet and then to the North Sea. As with the Grevelingen Dam an existing sandbar, the Hellegatsplaat, formed the basis of this causeway. First, the sandbar was connected to Goeree-Overflakkee by filling the separating channel with sand. Then the channel between Hellegatsplaat and the mainland of Noord-Brabant was closed with caissons. Finally the sandbar was linked to the Zuid-Holland mainland by means of a bridge. On this side the channel had to remain open to drain off the river water to the Haringvliet and then to the sea.

On Hellegatsplaat a locks complex was built for the navigation between Antwerp and Rotterdam, and a motorway junction for road traffic, the Hellegatsplein. It was a complicated work that took 12 years to complete. When viewed from the air it looks, with its three 'arms', like a gigantic Mercedes sign.
 

Volkerak Dam with the traffic junction Hellegatsplein

Work on the Haringvliet Dam (2) lasted even longer, fourteen years to be precise, from 1957 till 1971. But we're talking here about one of the most spectacular parts of the Delta project. A full enclosure was not possible here as the waters from the Rhine and Maas rivers had to be drained off to the North Sea via the Haringvliet. The challenge that the engineers faced was to find a  compromise between an open connection with the sea and a solid seawall. Like the storm surge barrier in the Hollandse IJssel, but on a much larger scale.

The solution that was chosen was a 4.5 km-long dam in which 17 huge sluices were incorporated. These sluices are open at low tide, so that the river water can flow into the sea unhindered. They are closed at every high tide, to prevent the salt sea water from pouring in. As a result, the Haringvliet gradually changed into a freshwater lake.

To facilitate the construction of the sluices an temporary polder of 1,400 meter long and 600 meter wide was constructed. On the floor of the sea the sluices complex was built. After its completion the dike was cut and the temporary polder was inundated again. Then the work on the dam itself started. Like with the Grevelingen Dam a cableway was employed to dump rocks and concrete blocks for the dam into the sea.

In recent years studies have been carried out after the possibility of leaving the Haringvliet sluices open at high tide too, so that sea water can pour in again and the former saltwater tidal environment can -partly- be restored. In that case the Haringvliet Dam will act as a storm barrier that is closed only at extreme high water levels, just like the Eastern Scheldt barrier. These studies are still going on.
 

Haringvliet Dam

The construction of the Brouwers Dam (4), closing off the Grevelingen inlet on the North Sea side, was less complex as it was designed as a solid dam without sluices. As this inlet had already been closed off by the Grevelingen Dam further inland it would become a stagnant freshwater lake between the two dams. With a length of 6.5 km the Brouwers Dam was the longest one built so far.

For the construction of the Brouwers Dam the same techniques were used as for the Grevelingen Dam. First, two existing sandbanks, Middelplaat and Kabbelaarsplaat, were raised with sand and consolidated into one single artificial island. Then the remaining channels were closed. For the northern channel 14 'drain caissons' of 68 meters long and 18 meters wide were used; the southern channel was closed by concrete blocks that were dumped by a cableway.

The work on the Brouwers Dam was finished in 1971. Soon after its completion massive mortality of flora and fauna occurred in the lake that used to be the Grevelingen inlet. It has taken quite some time until a new ecological balance had established itself. Changing views with regards to nature and environment soon resulted in an adjustment to the dam. A 195 meter-long sluice was built to allow salt sea water into the lake and permit fish to swim in and out. This sluice was completed in 1978.
 

Brouwers Dam

After completion of the Brouwers Dam two major challenges remained for the hydraulic engineers: closure of the Oosterschelde (Eastern Scheldt) and securing the Nieuwe Waterweg (New Waterway) from Rotterdam to the sea. A special chapter is dedicated to the Eastern Scheldt barrier (7), as its history is closely related to the island of Neeltje Jans. In the case of the Nieuwe Waterweg the challenge was to build a storm surge barrier that would protect the city and the port of Rotterdam and the surrounding area against the danger of flooding when extremely high water levels occur. This is an area where about one million people are living and with all kinds of vital industrial complexes like oil refineries, oil storage tank parks and chemical plants.

The most restrictive factor with designing the barrier was the intensive shipping traffic in the Nieuwe Waterweg, which is crucial to the Rotterdam port. A solution like the one in the Eastern Scheldt, with slides that could be lowered, was not an option here as it would limit the width of passage and the vertical clearance too much. When opened, the barrier should obstruct shipping in no way, while in case of imminent danger it should be possible to close it in just a couple of hours. It looked like a 'mission impossible'.

The solution was original and unique at the same time. The new Maeslant barrier (no number on the map) consists of two huge semicircular and hollow steel doors, which are normally stored in a kind of dry docks that have been excavated in both shores. In case of acute danger of flooding water is let into the docks, making the hollow doors to float. Then the doors are turned outwards, onto the river. When they are in position against each other, completely blocking the river, valves are opened so that the hollow doors are filled with water and sink down onto a specially made threshold at the bottom of the river, thus forming a solid seawall. When the barrier has to be reopened the water is pumped out of the doors to make them float again, after which they are turned back into their normal position in the docks.

Construction of the Maeslant barrier started in 1991 and on the 10th of May 1997 it was officially put into use by closing and reopening the huge doors for the first time. Since then the barrier is being tested yearly, requiring a total suspension of all shipping traffic for about two hours. But since its commission it has not yet been closed because of real high water danger.

Maeslant barrier

Though the enclosure of the Eastern Scheldt was not the final part of the Delta project (the Maeslant barrier in the Nieuwe Waterweg can claim that honor), it is commonly regarded as the project's pièce de resistance. Not only because of its sheer size and the innovative techniques that were used in its construction. But also because it was the first part of the Delta Project in which nature conservation and environmental issues influenced the final design in a decisive way.

Already from the start it was clear that closing the Eastern Scheldt would be the most tricky part of the Delta Project. This inlet was deeper and wider than all the others and tidal currents here were stronger and more changeable than elsewhere. That's why this job was saved for the end, in order to make optimal use of the experience that had been gained with building the other enclosures. Because of this delay the environmental movement had the time needed to get organized against closing off the Eastern Scheldt.

From the viewpoint of nature conservation the Eastern Scheldt is a very valuable area. The saltwater tidal environment houses an impressive variety of fish, birds, shellfish and water plants. Additionally, because of its unique conditions the Eastern Scheldt has become the cradle of oyster and mussel farming in the Netherlands. All this was doomed to disappear when the Eastern Scheldt would be closed and change into a freshwater basin without tidal movement. What happened with the Grevelingen lake after the completion of the Brouwers Dam in the early seventies (see above) was brought forward as a warning.

During the entire decade there was a fierce argument going on between the supporters and the opponents of closing the Eastern Scheldt. An argument that evolved into a generation conflict, as particularly for the older people who had personally lived through the flood disaster of 1953 safety and protection against floods was the most important thing, while for the younger generation nature conservation had the highest priority. The politicians tried to provide solutions that would meet the desires of both sides.
 

The first alternative was to raise and reinforce all of the 130 km of dikes on both shores of the Eastern Scheldt in such a way that the safety was guaranteed in the same manner as with a total closure, the method that -from necessity- also was used for the Western Scheldt. The main trouble with this option was that it would take 20 to 25 years to bring all dikes to the required standards and this was unacceptable for those who aimed at maximum safety.

Then several variants for a half open dam were developed, none of which could find favor in the eyes of both sides. Either the safety could not be guaranteed sufficiently, or the degree of flow-through was too little to avoid irreparable damage to the Eastern Scheldt ecosystem. Then the hydraulic engineers played their final trump: an open multiple pier dam with floodgates between the piers that could be lowered in case of storm surge danger. It was a compromise that turned out to be acceptable for al parties involved.

Construction of a storm surge barrier with movable slides of this size, in a 'hostile' environment like the unpredictable mouth of the Eastern Scheldt, would be a hydraulic engineering tour de force that nowhere else in the world had been done before. It was obvious that this option would have a price tag on it that was much higher than what had been estimated for a 'simple' closed dam. The first estimates amounted to € 1.5 billion, which would finally mount to over € 2.5 billion.

The next step was a fierce struggle in government and parliament to get the required funding for the much more expensive storm surge barrier. The left-wing parties adhered to the new proposal, but the liberals were against spending such an amount of money 'just for a couple of birds and fish'; the Christian Democrats were in doubt. When the latter party came round in the end and agreed to support the project in 1979, work could begin, at last.
 

Storm surge barrier
Eastern Scheldt

Work on the Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier (7) started with raising the existing sandbanks of Roggenplaat, Geul and Neeltje Jans that together would form the closed part of the barrier, leaving three channels in which the pier dam was to be built, from north to south the Hammen, Schaar and Roompot channels. The joint length of the three parts of the pier dam was 3 kilometer. It would consist of 65 concrete piers, to be prefabricated in a building dock on Neeltje Jans, with 62 steel floodgates between them.

A solid and settled subsoil for the piers was of vital importance for the stability of the whole construction, in an environment where the sea floor was continuously changing as a result of the strong tidal currents. If only one of the piers would show a deviation of just a few centimeters this would irrevocably result in the slides getting jammed, making the whole barrier completely useless. So, it is obvious that a lot of effort was put in this particular aspect.
 

First, the seabed was consolidated to a depth of 15 meters. A special ship was built for this purpose, the Mytilus (mussel), equipped with 18 meter long vibration pipes with a diameter of over 2 meters, which were drilled into the soil. The vibrations generated by the pipes condensed and thus reinforced the subsoil by knocking the sand grains more closely together. Then, synthetic mats, looking like mattresses filled with sand and gravel, were laid upon the sea floor. These prefabricated mats were 200 meters long at a width of 42 meters. To put these in position another dedicated vessel was built, the Cardium (cockle). The mats were coiled up in an enormous container that was fixed to the Cardium, after which the ship sailed to the place of destination, wound off the mats and laid them down on the seabed at a speed of 10 meters an hour.
 

Mytilus

The 66 piers (including a spare one for the case that something would go wrong) were built in a building dock on Neeltje Jans, at 15 meters below sea level. Actually it was a kind of a polder at the bottom of the sea with a dike around it, that had been drained by pumping out all the water. The piers themselves were gigantic, partly hollow concrete constructions that varied in height between 30 and 38 meters, depending on the position where they had to be placed.

When the piers were completed the dike around the building dock was cut and the site was flooded. To transport the piers to their final destination again a special ship was built, the Ostrea (oyster). This U-shaped vessel maneuvered itself around a pier with the open side of the 'U', after which two 50 meter high porches lifted the monster with a weight of 18,000 tons off the sea floor.
 

Cardium

This way, each of the piers was transported to its place of destination, where another specially designed positioning vessel, the Macoma (nun) was anchored at the exact location for the pier to be placed. The Ostrea was coupled to the Macoma to provide for the necessary stability to place the pier with great precision on the sea floor.  When the pier was in place its hollow interior was filled with sand to increase stability. To protect the base of the pier it was wrapped with thousands of tons of rock.

When all 63 piers stood firmly on the sea floor (the spare pier turned out to be redundant), the most critical part of the job was done. Now the piers were raised to the required height with concrete top pieces and joint together by means of hollow tubes that were to house the equipment for moving the slides. On top of these tubes the roadway that runs along the barrier was built. Then the 62 steel floodgates were put into place by a crane. Their sizes vary, depending on the size of the opening that they have to close off. The biggest one is 12 meters high at a weight of 480 tons.

Eventually, the Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier was officially opened on 4 October 1986 by HM Queen Beatrix.
 

Ostrea

Macoma

In conjunction with the construction of the Eastern Scheldt barrier some additional works were performed that initially had not been incorporated in the Delta Plan, but turned out to be necessary when it was decided to keep the Eastern Scheldt open. They are referred to as the 'compartment works', as in a certain sense they divide the Eastern Scheldt in separate 'compartments'. The most important ones are the Oester Dam and the Philips Dam.

As a result of the building of the storm surge barrier the mouth of the Eastern Scheldt was narrowed considerably. Less water could flow in and out than before, reducing the tidal movement with about one quarter. To neutralize this effect it was decided to effectively reduce the area of the Eastern Scheldt by building extra dams at the eastern end. This would increase high-water levels in the Eastern Scheldt with about 3 meters.

The 'compartment works' also solved an additional problem. The new Scheldt-Rhine Canal that was being built, linking the ports of Antwerp and Rotterdam, was projected partly through the Eastern Scheldt and thus would be subject to tidal movement. By separating the easternmost part of the Eastern Scheldt from the open part with a dam the whole Scheldt-Rhine Link would become 'non-tidal' and have a constant water level, so that no additional locks would be necessary.
 

First, the Philips Dam (6) was constructed between 1977 and 1987, a new branch of the Grevelingen Dam to the former island of Sint Philipsland, separating the Eastern Scheldt from the waters of the Krammer and the Volkerak. A locks complex was included in this dam, to enable shipping traffic in and out of the Eastern Scheldt. For building the locks an artificial island was constructed on an existing sandbank, the Plaat van Vliet. The Krammer Locks use a highly sophisticated system for separating salt and fresh water; more details about this can be read on the Sint Philipsland page. After the completion of the Philips Dam the area of the Eastern Scheldt had been reduced with 3,500 hectares of water.
 

Philips Dam with the
Krammer Locks

Now still remained the construction of the Oester Dam (11) between the (former) islands of Tholen and Zuid-Beveland, reducing the Eastern Scheldt area with another 1,000 hectares of water. Although this part of the Delta Works is less widely known it is certainly not the least one; on the contrary, with a total length of 11 kilometer the Oester Dam is even the longest one in the whole project. Construction work started as early as 1979 and ten years later the dam was officially opened. For closing the final opening in 1986 the gates of the brand new Eastern Scheldt barrier, which was not even officially put into use at that time yet, were closed to reduce the tidal currents in the Eastern Scheldt. The water east of the Oester Dam now forms a 'non-tidal' freshwater lake, which has improved water management in the westerly part of Noord-Brabant considerably.
 

Oester (Oyster) Dam

With the opening of the Maeslant barrier on 10 May 1997 the Delta Works have been formally completed. Dutch coastal defense is now capable to withstand high water levels that statistically will occur only once in 4,000 years. From far and near visitors now come to Neeltje Jans and the other Delta Works to see how the Dutch have finally conquered the sea. Many of them coming from the United States nowadays, after the devastating floods that were caused by the hurricane Katrina over there in the New Orleans area recently.  

So, can we lean back comfortably for the next 4,000 years? Definitely not! In the first place because that fatal storm surge might equally well occur tomorrow than only in 2,000 years. And secondly because that so-called Delta Standard is already being questioned, only half a century after it was adopted. Recently gathered knowledge about changes in our climate make believe that, as a result of the rise of the sea level and more frequent occurrence of extremely heavy storms caused by global warming, it might take much less than 4,000 years before a new Delta Plan needs to be developed. In fact, work on it has already begun!

A visit to Neeltje Jans

The major reason to visit Neeltje Jans is to get a comprehensive view of the Delta Project in general, and the Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier in particular. Don't expect much more of interest on this raised sandbank and former building dock. This in spite of attempts by Rijkswaterstaat (the Department of Public Works) to stimulate the formation of dunes here in order create some more interesting nature, with the unexpected result of a rabbit plague on the island! Pure nature can certainly be found on the beach at the North Sea side, where you are allowed to get rid of all of your clothes if you want, as it is an official nudist beach.

But impressive as they are, the Delta Works form a rather technical theme and for that reason they are possibly not attractive enough to justify a holiday trip with the whole family. That's the reason why the former information and exhibition center Delta Expo was transformed in 1997 into the theme park WaterLand Neeltje Jans, with many attractions for young and old like an aquarium, a hurricane simulator, water chutes, a beach playground, a seals show and much more. Besides that there are frequently special temporary events, like a sand sculpture festival and the exhibition 'Dynamic Art Delta', both in the summer of 2005.
 

Neeltje Jans in Google Earth
(click to enlarge)

< click on an image to enlarge

Construction of the temporary bridge to Neeltje Jans in 1979
(Source: Rijkswaterstaat)

A good start of a visit to Neeltje Jans is the film showing 'Delta-Finale' at the exhibition center (several different language versions available). It gives a lot of background information about the flood disaster of 1953, the development of the Delta Plan and the realization of the project. In particular the construction of the Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier is highlighted, as this work is commonly considered to be the final of the Delta Works. You will get an overall view of the technical challenges that had to be met and the sometimes unconventional solutions that had to be invented as an hydraulic engineering work of this size never had been done before. Also the various special vessels that were purpose-built for the barrier are highlighted.

But at least as much attention is paid to the change of public feeling that occurred during the realization of the Delta Plan, in favor of ecology and nature conservation. Without that change of mind the storm surge barrier would not have been built at all and the Eastern Scheldt would have been closed by a solid dam as originally planned. Perhaps that aspect of the barrier is even more fascinating than all those technical fireworks; the fact that all of this effort was made just to conserve a piece of unique nature that would have been lost otherwise.
 

Along concrete stairs you descend into the interior of one of the piers and shortly after you find yourself standing on the upper girder of the barrier, right beside one of the immense steel floodgates weighing over 400,000 kilo, while below you the waters of the Eastern Scheldt are swirling. You walk along the lifting portals with the huge hydraulic cylinders that move the gates, controlled from the 'Topshuis' building across the road, which was named after J.W. Tops B Sc, director-general of Rijkswaterstaat who died in 1981.

On one of the piers a thick red line marks the water level, +3 meter MSL, at which the 62 slides of the barrier will be closed, fully automatic and computer controlled. A thinner red line marks the maximum water level that was reached during the 1953 disaster, +4,20 meter MSL. A level that -still- has not been matched since then.
 

From the Eastern Scheldt barrier you walk along the remains of what once was the surrounding dike of the construction dock back towards the exhibition building Delta Plaza. I remember that I have been here before, in the early 1980s, when the barrier was still under construction. Neeltje Jans was open to the public by then, though, but you were not allowed to walk around there on your own as that was too risky. From Schouwen-Duiveland a shuttle bus brought the visitors across the temporary bridge to the information center on the artificial island, which was housed in a modest wooden shed at that time.
 

Piers under construction
(Source: Rijkswaterstaat)

Walking back to Delta Plaza along the other side of the water you are passing the hurricane simulator, one of the most popular attractions of WaterLand Neeltje Jans. Huge fans can generate wind speeds of over 100 km per hour, wind force 12 on the Beaufort scale. Meteorologists then speak of a hurricane. Equipped with (mandatory) safety glasses you can experience personally what that feels like. A very special sensation that you will hopefully not undergo too often in the open air!

Somewhat beyond is the exhibition Walviswereld (Whale World) where children can learn everything about whales. It is housed in a building of futuristic design that looks like a huge shining whale and that has won several awards, including the first Architecture Award of Zeeland. Inside you imagine yourself in the gloomy bowels of a real whale.

During my most recent visit to Neeltje Jans in July 2005 several art objects were set up along the promenade walk. They were part of the art event  'Dynamic Art Delta' that took place on the island from May till October. Specially for this exhibition eight artists from Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands designed ten compositions related with wind, water and nature. Most of these were so-called 'kinetic objects', which means that they are set in motion by natural forces like wind or streaming water. These objects provided a pleasant and delicate compensation for all of the massive and impressive concrete and steel of the Delta Works!
 

At the end of my walk round I arrive at the recreation beach, where at the time of my visit people were working hard on the completion of the sand sculptures that could be admired here during the months July and August. For me it meant a renewed acquaintance with Nehalennia, as the patroness of the seamen from the Roman ages, who lent her name to the island of Neeltje Jans, formed the central subject of this event.

The seven several meters high sand sculptures were not yet completely finished. On the 1st of July the exhibition was to be officially opened by Miranda Slabber, the Zeeland-born Miss Holland 2004. In the sculptures themes like the construction of a temple, merchants making a sacrifice, Romans worshipping the goddess and also the decay of the Nehalennia cult were depicted.

The sand sculptures were being built by INAXI, a Dutch company with an internationally renowned team that also works frequently in China, Israel and Germany. This team is holder of the world record of the tallest sand sculpture, 21 meters high. Special sculpture sand is used, which is being pounded in moulds and then transported to the building site in the form of blocks, where the sand sculptors or 'carvers' make the rough shapes by cutting away the sand. Then the sculptures are being elaborated in detail.
 

With a very last look at the astonishingly detailed sand sculptures my brief tour around Neeltje Jans comes to an end. I leave this place with mixed feelings. Not because it wasn't a rewarding visit, on the contrary. For everyone who is interested in the struggle of the Dutch against the water and how they have succeeded in keeping up with it in recent years Neeltje Jans is definitely a must. In particular for foreigners who are not familiar with the Dutch way of 'living below sea level' there is no better place to get acquainted with it and to become impressed by the Dutch hydraulic engineering skills. And certainly now that there are more than enough attractions for children and for those with less interest in technical details Neeltje Jans is an good idea for a day trip with the whole family.

But on the other hand, to say that I have experienced the slightest 'island feeling' would be far too much. There is nothing wrong with its location, in the middle of the Eastern Scheldt, with plenty of light and room around.  That's great, but not enough to make a place a real island. That requires people in particular, people who have lived there for generations, isolated from the mainland and completely left to their own devices. People who, even if they have abandoned the place since long, have left their marks on the scenery, something of their own that still can be sensed after all those years.

On Neeltje Jans nothing of that is tangible. It just remains a heap of sand in an estuary, that appeared on the maps only in the 18th century and that accidentally came in handy for the construction of one of the largest hydraulic engineering works in the world. It's nothing more than that. But nothing less too!
 

More about Neeltje Jans and related information

www.neeltjejans.nl
Official website of theme park WaterLand Neeltje Jans.
Dutch, German and English language versions available.

www.deltawerken.com
Website about the Delta Project by the Delta Works Foundation Online. Dutch and English versions.

www.delta2003.nl
Official website of the Project Delta 2003, the commemoration of the flood disaster of 1953. Dutch and English language.

www.zeeuwsarchief.nl/strijdtegenhetwater
Website of the Rijksarchief (Dutch National Archives) about the flood disaster of 1953 and the Delta Works. Dutch language only.

www.walviswereld.nl
Website van the attraction 'WalvisWereld' ('Whale World') at WaterLand Neeltje Jans. Dutch language only

www.cedephoto.com/dad2005
Website of the art event 'Dynamic Art Delta'. English language only.

www.zeeland.nl
Official website of the Province of Zeeland, to which Zuid-Beveland belongs. Dutch language, with some content in English, French and German.

June 2005