The Dutch version of Angkor Wat is located in the
Noordoostpolder. Overgrown, abandoned relics from a hydraulic ‘religion’ are
spread out in a deep ‘jungle’ called the ‘Waterloopbos’. It is not the first
time that this place has been mentioned (see this post about a visit of some of
my project colleagues some years back), but being an amazing sight worthwhile
to receive yet another blog and update. Even more important, the area is
targeted to receive its very own Master Plan (also check out the video)!
The forest itself dates back to 1944, and was planted in
one of the reclaimed Flevopolders. By the early 1950s the area was handed over
to the WL Hydraulics. This organization had an office in the Flevopolders and
was in need of an area to be used as a testing facility, or open air
laboratory, in which scale models of various hydraulic works could be tested on
various hydraulic characteristic. Interestingly, various decisions regarding
the place of a dyke, or layout of a harbour, have not been taken on site, but
in, or based on measurements, sometimes on the other side of the world, in a
small forest, in a typical Dutch ‘polder’.
For example, in small scale version (1:50), miniature
versions of the harbors of Rotterdam, Lagos and Bangkok appeared between the
trees, equipped with different types of docking quays and wave barriers, to
test with design and layout would suit the requirements of planned projects. Many
of the works implemented within the Delta Plan were constructed and tested
here, for example and the effect of waves and erosion during the closing of dams. After testing, however, those small scale models were just abandoned,
and became in turn the target of the forest ‘re-reclaiming’ the area with
overgrowing vegetation.
In the mid-90s WL Hydraulics moved to Delft. Plans of
the new land owner to convert the area into a recreational area with holiday
houses faced protests by nearby inhabitants and NGO’s advocating nature
protection and restoration. The NGO Natuurmonumenten was able to buy the area
in 2002, and developed various initiatives to keep the area accessible and to
capitalize on the various hydraulic scale models integrated in the forests’ walking
routes. The area is up for nomination and this will undoubtedly speed up the
formulation of a ‘Master Plan’ describing the future plans for the area.
