This week, we are looking at a map of the area south of Petten in the province of Holland (now North-Holland) in 1730. The water board commissioned the map from Jan Spruytenburgh and Hendrik de Leth.
The map tells the history of the landscape, and reclaiming the land to create polders. On the left side, we see the smaller polders surrounding by dikes, created in the medieval period. On the right, we see the large polder of the Zijpe, one of the first industrial-scale commercial reclamations, finished in 1597.
Map of the dikes and dunes near Petten, 1730. Credits: Westfries Archief (public domain)
About Yvette Hoitink
