Bart Schultz
Throughout the centuries, however, the Netherlands has been struck by flooding many times. An excellent overview of this can be found in the three-volume standard work by M.K.E. Gottschalk, Stormvloeden en rivieroverstromingen in Nederland.
In 2025, the flooding disaster of 1825 was commemorated, in which large areas around the former Zuiderzee were flooded. Attention was being paid to it in various ways, such as through publications, symposia, exhibitions, and excursions. Temporary exhibitions were held in Elburg, Ermelo, Hasselt, Kampen, Oldebroek, Staphorst, and Vollenhove.
An interesting symposium was held at the Broederkerk/Stadsgehoorzaal in Kampen, during which a podcast series, Waterwolf. De stormvloed van 1825, was also launched. Furthermore, there was a bicycle route in Kampen following traces of the disaster. The journal Tijdschrift voor Waterstaatsgeschiedenis published a special issue entirely dedicated to the disaster. As far as I know, two books have also been published: in 2002, Overijssels watersnood, a reissue of the account of the 1825 disaster by Jan ter Pelkwijk, and in 2025 Stormvloed 1825 by Arnoud van de Ridder.
As part of the activities, the Association for the History of Water Management organized an excursion to Hasselt along the Zwarte Water, which was also affected by the flood at the time. A walking tour through the city was conducted. Small plates have been placed on various buildings at the level reached by the flood. From these, the differences in elevation within the city could be clearly deduced. For instance, in the Hoogstraat, the plate was positioned low above the sidewalk, while at the lower-lying former lime kiln, the plate was located high in the doorpost.
There was also a visit to the temporary exhibition in the Old Town Hall. A board was displayed there showing the number of victims and the damage. The number of victims totalled 305 people, 16,227 head of livestock, and 1,482 beehives. Damage to livestock amounted to over eight hundred thousand guilders, and to buildings and property nearly one and a half million guilders. There were also lectures regarding the flood. All in all, an interesting gathering.
In the past, all major decisions regarding floods were taken after the disaster. Worldwide, this is essentially still the case. The decisions concerning the Maaswerken and Room for the River were also taken after the disaster, or near-disaster. However, in the Netherlands, hard work is currently being done within the framework of the Flood Protection Programs, through which safety against flooding is being increased at the National level. This clearly anticipates a potential disaster, which can hopefully be postponed for many years as a result.
However, threats still exist primarily at the regional level; consider the rapidly progressing urbanization in various polders and the activities of beavers in and near dikes, which are spreading rapidly across the country. Although this will result in relatively minor flooding in the event of a disaster, the damage can still be substantial. Let us hope that the necessary measures will be taken in a timely manner at the regional level as well.
