Dutch Adventures Part III

Sander   Sunday, June 12, 2005, 17:17 GMT
http://www.ahn.nl/demo/ahn-nederland1.jpg

Highest poin of the Netherlands is 322,4 meter... ;)
Almost all of the land doesnt get above 6 meters.
P   Sunday, June 12, 2005, 17:19 GMT
Wow that is scary Sander. I look at the link (thanks) and I was wondering on the map of the Netherlands there is outlying islands lining the main land - was the gap with water between these islands and the mainland used to dry land?

Another question - during WW2 when the Germans invaded the Netherlands on your Eastern border did the Dutch actually destoryed the dikes in order to flood the land to somehow stop the German invision? I'll love information (in English Please) or links (English)! :)
P   Sunday, June 12, 2005, 17:20 GMT
I'm probably scared due to the fact I can't swim :(
Sander   Sunday, June 12, 2005, 17:21 GMT
=>was the gap with water between these islands and the mainland used to dry land?<=

No,the 'island' in the middle is a result of the last ice age,its where the last glacier finally halted and retreated.

WW2

Yes we did,like with every war we ever were in since its construction.Its called the Waterlinie,(Water line) http://www.geo.uu.nl/~forth/history/Waterlinie_klein.jpg and its ment to protect the most important cities of the Netherlands.

But it didnt work.The Germans used loads of Paratroopers to secure the bridges (which we tried to blow),the sucseded at first,then they were attacked by Dutch troops and defeated,Hitler had said that Holland would be conquered in 1 day (like Denmark) but as 4 days past Holland wasnt defeated at all,so Hitler said he would bomb Rotterdam if the Dutch wouldent surrender,we didnt ,he bombed Rotterdam and threatend to bomb Utrecht as well.We surrenderd and 5 years later 10 days before the official capitulation of the Germans we regained our freedom.

We never had a chance our weopons were all from before WW1,eg here a Dutch canon in WW2 http://home.planet.nl/~cosse001/ww2/Wereld%20oorlog%202%20015.jpg.
Yann   Sunday, June 12, 2005, 17:23 GMT
[Just bumping this thread so it's still there tomorrow when I post my new sample]
P   Sunday, June 12, 2005, 17:26 GMT
Thankyou Sander for the wonderful information you have given to me.
Sander   Sunday, June 12, 2005, 17:27 GMT
And Thank you P for your wonderful interest in Dutch history. :)
?   Sunday, June 12, 2005, 17:39 GMT
<<Half of the country is below sealevel (lowest point is appr. minus 8 metres). If the pumps that keep the land dry would all be switched of at once, half of the country would submerge under the North Sea within 48 hours>>


Sander, where and how are the pumps mantained

please tell us and provide some links :)

are there any people living in the west ?

who build the pumps
Sander   Sunday, June 12, 2005, 17:47 GMT
?   Sunday, June 12, 2005, 17:53 GMT
ok but when were this "walls" builed , and how was the country before those walls

what are this?

http://www.holland.nl/bin/holland/sights/stormvloedkering.jpg

and who build them, what's the name of them ?

do you know some www in english with photos, describing the "walls" the history of them and the technology?


thanx
Sander   Sunday, June 12, 2005, 18:05 GMT
?   Sunday, June 12, 2005, 18:10 GMT
thanx sander,

But how was the country before any "walls " were build ?

was it much more smaller ?

And when the first project started ?

I am interested because I want to visit Holland and I want to understand what I'll see there !

thanx
Sander   Sunday, June 12, 2005, 18:20 GMT
No the country wasnt smaller before these wall were built.However before the dikes you mean ?Yes it was smaller.In fact If there were no dikes this would be all that would remain...http://www.natuurdichtbij.nl/kennismaken/drassigedelta/kaartjewater750.JPG

Scary not? ;)

The first project started arround the year 100 BC ,with 'terpen' small human built hills if the sea flooded the land they could still live there.http://www.20eeuwennederland.nl/images/terp.jpg

What you will see in the Netherlands?

-http://www.aafkepostma.nl/weblog/images/thuis2101.jpg
-http://www.featurez.com/images/Illus%20text%20pages/platteland.jpg
-http://home.hccnet.nl/jan.arkesteijn/recreatie/fawafi/f1/koeien.jpg
-http://home.hetnet.nl/~julianadorp/bloemboll/bolbloem-2004/0-tulpenveld-1-mt.jpg
-http://www.lytshuiszilver.nl/images/tulpenveld1.jpg
?   Sunday, June 12, 2005, 18:34 GMT
wow !

what are these? they look like a SF film ...

http://www.holland.nl/bin/holland/sights/stormvloedkering.jpg

thanx Sander
Sander   Sunday, June 12, 2005, 18:40 GMT