One of the joys of quaint destinations like Marken are mini-attractions like this, as well as the stories attached to them. Kijkhuisje Sijtje Boes Source: Kijkhuisje Sijtje Boes One of the most remarkable sights is the row of icebreakers off Rozewerf on the island’s south coast.ħ. There are new information plaques giving accounts of the destruction, but you can also pick up a leaflet or download a PDF with all the information you need. The walk leads you to some very photogenic parts of the former island, which also happened to be the worst affected in the flood. Starting and finishing at the Marken Museum there’s a walking path around Marken recalling the devastation of the flood on the night between 13 and 14 January 1916. Flood Walk (Watersnood Wandeling Marken 1916) Source: / shutterstock Flood Walk It was designed with a bench so you can scan what used to be the open North Sea and is now a calm freshwater lake (Gouwzee). The flood accelerated plans to build the Afsluitdijk, which made Marken safe, but naturally also ended the local fishing industry overnight.Īt the entrance to the harbour there’s a memorial to the flood, unveiled in 1916 to mark the centenary and known as “The Wave”. Sixteen islanders were killed, and many people were made homeless. The last major disaster to hit the island was a flood caused by a storm coinciding with high tide in 1916. It’s hard to picture today, but before the Afsluitdijk dam was built in the early 1930s, Marken was at the mercy of the North Sea, which wrought constant havoc. ![]() Flood Memorial Source: Maria_Janus / shutterstock Flood Memorial You’ll discover lots of details you wouldn’t otherwise have heard, and can make the whole experience even more authentic by combining it with a koffietafel (coffee with sweet and savoury delicacies), or classic Dutch fisherman’s fare, soused herring with a hit of korenwijn (grain wine).ĥ. And to make them extra special, these are given by guides wearing the typical local dress of an embroidered breastcloth (kraplap), striped sleeves and lace bonnet. The company Rondmarken provides hour-long tours for groups of up to 25. If you want to take in the entire coast, you can do a complete nine-kilometre hike along the dike. ![]() Walking Tour Source: Rond Marken / facebook RondmarkenĪs soon as you arrive in Marken you’ll be ready to see as much as possible on foot, from the rustic harbour to the lush interior, streaked with waterways. Through all this transformation, Marken has held onto its traditions and its adorable wooden houses on stilts, once inhabited by fishermen and used for old-time trades like smoking eels.Īnd if you want a local perspective, you can take a guided tour led by guides in Marken’s brightly-embroidered traditional costume. None of this makes Marken any less lovable. This was a mixed blessing, as up to that time flooding was a constant danger here. Before that, the surrounding Zuiderzee became a freshwater lake when the Afsluitdijk dam was completed in 1932, ending Marken’s fishing trade. What used to be an island is now a peninsula, joined to North Holland by a dike in 1957. In the space of a century a lot of things have changed for Marken.
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