Buitenkaag is a village in the
Dutch province of
North Holland
North Holland ( nl, Noord-Holland, ) is a province of the Netherlands in the northwestern part of the country. It is located on the North Sea, north of South Holland and Utrecht, and west of Friesland and Flevoland. In November 2019, it had a ...
. It is a part of the municipality of
Haarlemmermeer, and lies about 8 km northeast of
Leiden
Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration wit ...
. The name Buitenkaag (''Outer Kaag'') refers to the town
Kaag and the surrounding lake area, the
Kagerplassen {{coord, 52, 12, 19, N, 4, 32, 18, E, type:waterbody_region:NL_scale:60000, display=title
The ''Kagerplassen'' (a Dutch term meaning "the Kaag Lakes") is a small lake system in South Holland located to the northeast of Leiden.Some of the informat ...
. The village officially received the name in 1859.
One of the most distinctive buildings in Buitenkaag is "Gemaal de Leeghwater", a
pumping station
Pumping stations, also called pumphouses in situations such as well drilling, drilled wells and drinking water, are facilities containing pumps and equipment for pumping fluids from one place to another. They are used for a variety of infrastru ...
named after
Jan Leeghwater
Jan Adriaenszoon Leeghwater (born Jan Adriaenszoon; November 1575 – January 1650) was a Dutch millwright and hydraulic engineer.
Biography
Leeghwater was born as Jan Adriaanszoon. Only later did he adopt the name Leeghwater, from ''l ...
. Built in the mid-19th century to
reclaim the
Haarlemmermeer lake, it is still operational today. Originally, it was based on steam engine. In 1930, diesel engines were installed in the pumping station.
Gallery
File:Gemaal de Leeghwater Buitenkaag.jpg, Leeghwater pumping station
References
Populated places in North Holland
Haarlemmermeer
{{NorthHolland-geo-stub